Fran McCaffery has been working his way out of Iowa for the past few seasons due to his antics and mediocre campaigns. But what is the main reason why Iowa finally pulled the trigger to fire their longtime coach? And who are the top candidates to replace him?
Iowa fired McCaffery on Friday after 15 seasons. McCaffery is Iowa’s longest-tenured and all-time winningest coach, with a 297-207 record. However, the Hawkeyes posted a 36-31 record, including 17-23 in Big Ten play over the last two seasons and missed the NCAA tournament in each of the previous two campaigns.
“Fran McCaffery has been an integral part of our Hawkeye family for the past 15 years,” Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz said in a statement. ” He is a tremendous coach and teacher, and we are grateful for the positive impact he has made on the institution and the community. We have a deep appreciation for his dedication to our student-athletes and his passion for the game that will have a lasting impact on our program.”
Biggest Reason Why Iowa Is Looking For A Basketball Coach & Analyzing Potential Candidates To Replace Fran McCaffery
Iowa went 17-16 this season, though the Hawkeyes finished 12th in the Big Ten at 7-13. The Hawkeyes, who generally thrived offensively under McCaffery, finishing among the top three league teams in scoring in each of the last nine seasons. The Hawkeyes ranked 35th in the nation in offensive efficiency this season, though they were just 330th in defensive efficiency.
Payton Sandfort, Josh Dix, and Owen Freeman all averaged over 14 points to lead the way for the Hawkeyes, who were 17th in the nation with 82.5 points a game. However, Freeman saw his season conclude after 19 games as he underwent finger surgery on his shooting hand. Iowa went 6-8 down the stretch without their athletic 6-10 forward, which included falling to Illinois (106-94) in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
Overall, Iowa made seven NCAA tournaments under McCaffery, but the Hawkeyes never won more than one game under his tenure. McCaffery went 4-7 in the NCAA tournament, failing to get out of the first round in each of the Hawkeyes’ last two appearances. While McCaffery is eighth on the Hawkeyes’ ledger with a .589 winning percentage, he guided the Hawkeyes to just one Big Ten title and no conference championships.
The Biggest Reason Why McCaffery Is No Longer Iowa’s Coach
So, with the Hawkeye’s lack of winning — they are 17-28 in quality games over the last two years — and McCaffery’s embarrassing antics being more unsavory, Goetz probably felt like she needed to make a change. Let’s face it: 15 years is a long time for a coach to be at one school nowadays, especially a Power 4 Conference team when he is not a legend. However, Scott Dochterman of The Athletic said the move was made because McCaffery didn’t give Iowa fans enough reasons to care.
“McCaffery, the winningest coach in Iowa men’s basketball history, paid the price for the program’s lowest average attendance since the 1964-65 season. The Hawkeyes averaged 9,161 tickets sold (10th in the Big Ten), and just 5,276 seats actually filled per game. That’s untenable for a program with fans passionate enough to sell every women’s basketball ticket in consecutive seasons and four consecutive years of sellouts in football and men’s wrestling. They love the Hawkeyes, but they just don’t like McCaffery.
Big Ten basketball is about more than wins and losses. It’s big business, and that’s where McCaffery failed. McCaffery had the backing of Iowa’s die-hard basketball community of longtime supporters, but there was little connection for the average fan. McCaffery’s explosive sideline demeanor and gruff personality rubbed some fans the wrong way. They tolerated it until they no longer believed he could lead the team to a Big Ten title or the Sweet 16. Then, they tuned him out.
McCaffery’s ouster is yet another gust of wind on the erosion of Iowa men’s basketball over the past quarter-century. It’s not just on him; the foundation is cracked, and the entire operation needs razing. A department can’t do that without a leadership change.”
Coaching Search
It isn’t surprising that Iowa is searching for a new coach. Questions have been swirling around campus lately, although McCaffery said he definitely believed he would return to the Hawkeyes after their loss to Illinois.
Iowa has been playing basketball for 128 seasons. The Hawkeyes program has an admirable .587 winning percentage. However, the Hawkeyes have only 31 tournament wins and three Final Four appearances, the last occurring in 1980, in 29 NCAA berths.
“I look at some of the players he’s had and what they’ve done, you get lucky and unlucky,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said at his press conference following MSU’s 91-84 victory over Iowa on March 6. “I just went through a three-year period where everyone wants to ship me out. They don’t have the resources here.
“Everybody has different amounts of resources. They’re not on the middle or high end,” Izzo added. I think what he’s gone through here with his own kids and everything. Watch what you wish for.”
Iowa will lose two starters from this past season, Sandfort and Drew Thelwell, due to the expiration of their eligibility. Braun, who was an end-of-rotation player this year, is also out of eligibility, while Freeman announced earlier today that he will enter the transfer portal.
According to On3’s Nick Schultz, Goetz could have faced an interesting hurdle in her coaching search. Schultz said that ESPN’s Pete Thamel echoed Izzo’s sentiments.
“Speaking on ESPN’s College GameDay, “Schultz wrote. “Thamel said those “financial concerns” could impact the pursuit of someone such as Darian DeVries. The former Drake head coach and Creighton assistant is currently the head coach at West Virginia, but with a buyout north of $4 million, Iowa could have hesitations about paying that sum.”
Analyzing The Baker’s Dozen of Potential Candidates To Replace Fran McCaffery
Thirteen candidates have been identified as potential candidates for Iowa. Some of the Candidates are potential suitors for other openings, such as Minnesota and NC State.
Ben McCollum, Drake HC
Ben McCollum did a fantastic job at Northwest Missouri State, winning four Division II titles, and has continued his upward climb in his first season at Drake. McCollum has Drake back in the NCAA tournament for a third year as the Bulldogs.
In the 43-year-old coach’s first season, Drake won a program record 30 games and also claimed the MVC regular and conference crowns. The 2025 Naismith COY semifinalist also guided the Bulldogs to record 17 conference victories. He enters the 2025 NCAA Tournament ranked No. 5 on the all-time collegiate coaches list in winning percentage (.818) with a 424-94 career coaching record.
McCollum is the frontrunner for Indiana’s opening, per The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman.
“Drake coach Ben McCollum has emerged as one of the top candidates for the Indiana opening and has really impressed Indiana AD Scott Dolson, a source told @TheFieldOf68“
Darian DeVries, West Virginia HC
DeVries, who McCollum replaced at Drake, is in his first season at West Virginia. The nearly 50-year-old has West Virginia on the NCAA bubble of an NCAA tournament bid. The Mountaineers are 19-13 on the season and finished seventh in the Big 12 with a 10-10 record. They were upset by Colorado in the second round of the Big 12 tournament.
DeVries is 168-69 overall in seven seasons as a head coach. He won at least 20 games in all six seasons with Drake, claiming one MVC regular season crown and two tournament titles. The two-time MVC COY went 0-3 in his three trips to the NCAA tournament.
“In the same ways that McCollum makes sense for Iowa, so does his predecessor at Drake,” Craig Meyer of USA Today said. “DeVries is an Iowa native whose brother, Jared DeVries, was a consensus all-American for the Hawkeyes’ football team. After a wildly successful run at Drake, where he went 150-55 and went to the NCAA Tournament four times in six seasons, he left for West Virginia last offseason. This season, he has helped carry an injury-plagued Mountaineers team to a 19-13 mark and a likely spot in the NCAA Tournament.”
“The biggest question for DeVries could be whether he’s willing to leave West Virginia after just 12 months and whether Iowa would be willing to pay a nearly $5 million buyout. If both things can be worked out, though, Iowa would get DeVries and potentially his son, Tucker DeVries, a two-time Missouri Valley player of the year who has a year of eligibility remaining should he choose to exercise it.”
Chris Jans, Mississippi State HC
Chris Jans has won at every stop in his career. The nearly 56-year-old has an impressive .713 career winning percentage, producing 20 wins in all but one of his nine years as a head coach. He is slated to make his fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance, including all three seasons in Starkville.
Mississippi State is 21-12 on the season and 63-39 in three years with the Bulldogs. The former three-time WAC COY is 1-5 all-time in the NCAA tournament. He was also at Bowling Green and New Mexico State.
“An Iowa native, Jans has extensive basketball ties to the state, having played at Loras College in Dubuque and coached at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids,” said Meyer. “In eight seasons as a Division I head coach, he’s 206-83, with three NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons at New Mexico State and soon-to-be three trips to the Big Dance in three seasons at Mississippi State.”
“Jans is making $4.2 million this season with the Bulldogs, with whom he’s signed through the 2027-28 season. Would he be willing to leave what appears to be a good situation?”
Niko Medved, Colorado State HC
Niko Medved is also considered a candidate for the Minnesota job. The 51-year-old led Colorado State to its second straight NCAA tournament berth as the Rams defeated Boise State (69-56) last night in the Mountain West title game. It was CSU’s first conference tournament crown since 2003.
Medved has a 219-172 record in 12 seasons as a head coach. Of his three coaching spots, Medved has done his best job with Colorado State, where he is 140-84 with five seasons of 20+ wins. The 2025 Mountain West Conference tournament title is Medved’s first, and now he will be making his NCAA tournament (1-1).
Medved has been a steady winner throughout his 12-year Division I head coaching career,” said Meyer. “He went 42-28 in his final two seasons at Furman, which went 7-24 the season before his hiring, before spending a year at Drake, where he led the Bulldogs to a 10-win improvement in his lone season there. Medved has shown an impressive ability to develop and, more importantly, in the age of the transfer portal, retain players. One snag for Iowa could be that Medved will almost certainly be a candidate for the vacancy at his alma mater, Minnesota.”
Bryce Drew, Grand Canyon
Bryce Drew has Power-4 conference experience with Vanderbilt but has experienced much more success at the mid-major levels. Drew owns a 284-147 record in 13 years as a head coach, with 244 wins coming at Grand Canyon and Valparaiso.
Grand Canyon has been highly successful in its 12 years of Division I basketball under Drew and Dan Majerle. While Drew has been at Grand Canyon for two fewer seasons than Majerle, he has posted just 16 fewer wins. The 50-year-old led the Antelopes to their third straight NCAA tournament late last night with an 89-82 victory over Utah Valley in the WAC final.
Drew is making his seventh trip to the NCAA tournament, including his fourth with Grand Canyon. The three-time Horizon League COY has guided his teams to five regular season titles and six conference tournament titles.
Steve Forbes, Wake Forest HC
Steve Forbes is a surprise inclusion on this list. The 59-year-old, who was the 2022 ACC COY, has a .673 winning percentage in 10 years at East Tennesee State and Wake Forest. But he hasn’t qualified for the NCAA tournament since his last year at ETSU in 2019-20—the NCAA tournament was cancelled this year.
Forbes is o-1 in his lone NCAA tournament, though he is 4-5 in his postseason NCAA career. Also, Forbes has posted three 20-win seasons in five seasons at Wake.
“Forbes, like others on this list, is an Iowa native with coaching experience in the state (in his case, at Southwestern Community College in Creston),” Meyer said. “He’s 222-108 across 10 seasons at East Tennessee State and Wake Forest, including a 92-65 mark with the Demon Deacons.”
“He has improved what had been arguably the ACC’s worst program at the time of his hiring, going 86-49 over the past four seasons at Wake Forest, but he has yet to make an NCAA Tournament during that time, which has at least raised questions about his job security after his fifth season.”
Alan Huss, High Point HC
Alan Huss and High Point will make their NCAA tournament debuts this year following a historic season for the Panthers. The Panthers are making their first NCAA tournament this year, and they set a school record for most wins (29) and conference wins. The Panthers’ 29 victories are two more than they accumulated in Huss’s first season (27), the school’s second-most.
Huss is 56-14 as a head coach, with two Big South regular-season titles and one conference championship crown. High Point also went 2-1 in the CBI last season.
“Huss has only two years of experience as a Division I head coach but has more than proven himself during that brief stretch,” Meyer said. “After six seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton, Huss was hired by High Point in 2023 and has led the Panthers to a 56-14 mark. Huss is an Illinois native who played at Creighton under Dana Altman.”
Chris Collins, Northwestern
Chris Collins probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves. The 50-year-old coach is 194-190 after posting three straight winning seasons, including two NCAA tournaments (2023 and 2024). He has guided the Wildcats to five winning seasons in 12 seasons and three NCAA tournament berths, going 3-3 in those appearances.
Ryan Bowen, Denver Nuggets Assistant Coach
Ryan Bowen, who played 10 years in the NBA, is an Iowa native who played for the Hawkeyes. The 49-year-old has never coached in college or been head coach. He has been in the NBA, with Sacramento and Denver, as an assistant since the end of his playing days.
Matt Gatens, Iowa Assistant Coach
Matt Gatens is an Iowa City native who played for the Hawkeyes (2009-12). He has been on McCaffery’s staff for three seasons. Gatens played professionally overseas and for the G-League Iowa Energy. He spent four years on the coaching staff at Drake before joining Iowa.
Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State HC
Jerrod Calhoun has Utah State likely in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season and the fifth time in the last seven years. The Aggies are 26-6 on the campaign. The Aggies finished third in the Mountain West and then lost to Colorado State in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Calhoun has been a college head coach since 2012, with stops at Division II Fairmont State and Cleveland State. The 43-year-old, named the Horizon League COY in 2022-23, owns a 144-112 Division record with one conference regular season title to his credit.
“Calhoun is in his first season at Utah State but has spent much of his career in the midwest and Appalachia,” Meyer said. “A former assistant coach for Bob Huggins at West Virginia, the Ohio native went 124-38 in five seasons at Division II Fairmont State before going 118-106 in seven seasons at Youngstown State, a historically difficult place to win.”
Brian Wardle, Bradley HC
Brian Wardle has been a mid-major head coach since 2010-11 with Green Bay and Bradley. He is 279-211 in 15 seasons with eight 20-win seasons, including each of the last three seasons. The 46-year-old has led Bradley to one regular-season title, two conference tourney champions, and one NCAA Tournament berth.
“A former star player at Marquette, Wardle has done well as a head coach in 15 seasons at Green Bay and Bradley,” said Meyer. “The Braves have gone 74-30 over the past three seasons, capped off by a 26-8 mark this season that ended with a loss to McCollum and Drake in the Missouri Valley championship game.”
Eric Henderson, South Dakota State HC
Eric Henderson is 129-60 in six seasons at South Dakota State, accumulating two Summit COY awards and four regular-season crowns. He also has guided the Jackrabbits to two NCAA tournaments.
Who Will Take Over For Fran McCaffery?
It sounds like Iowa may be in a tight spot financially, so we will have to see how things turn out on that end. However, it sounds like DeVries is considered the favorite at this point. If the Hawkeyes can’t afford DeVries or Jans, Bowen or Huss may be intriguing options. Collins and Drew would also be intriguing options if they were interested.
Photo credit: © Grace Hollars/IndyStar
