Ben McCollum is termed as the Curt Cignetti of College Basketball. The Indiana Football coach got his first college head coaching job at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania before bumping up to the Division I level with FCS Elon and then James Madison, where he helped the Dukes in their transition from FCS to FBS. Then came the 11-2 season with the Hoosiers. 

McCollum is very similar. In 15 seasons as the head coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State, McCollum had an overall record of 394–91. He took over at Drake and led them to a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championship and the NCAA Tournament appearance with an overall record of 30-3. In his first year at the Iowa job, he has led them to the Sweet 16 with a win over Florida. There is no telling how far he might go. But there is one difference between the two. Cignetti did not have his son on his team. 

Who is Peyton McCollum? Is he related to Ben McCollum? 

Peyton McCollum is Ben McCollum’s son. The Iowa Hawkeyes coach  has two other sons named Tate and Grace. Peyton went to Waukee Northwest High School and flourished. He snagged an Iowa Professional Sports Writers Association first-team all-state selection as a senior after averaging 13.1 points, 5.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 51.4 % from the field, 40.5 % from 3-point range. 

He led Waukee Northwest to the state championship game. Before his senior year, he went to Maryville (Mo.) High School and averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. With this school resume, he was still a zero-star recruit in the 2025 draft class. He committed to Iowa to play under his father. However, he suffered a foot injury in practice on January 8 and was ruled out of the 2025-26 season. 

How good is their relationship? All to know 

Ben McCollum and Peyton have a pretty healthy father-son relationship.  “It was pretty special because you get to see those little kids, the coach’s sons, who get to come to practice and do all that and be involved with the team,” Peyton said regarding joining Iowa. “It’s really special. And then just seeing some of the former players that we had here today, it’s just like the connections you make and the people that you get to meet because of that are really special.”

Payton has also revealed that Ben was his flag football coach back in the day and they played a couple of rec leagues too. “I think we didn’t lose,” he said.  However, he still avoids calling him dad during practice or during basketball meetings. 

He also appreciates what he is doing at the Hawkeyes. “He tells me all the time he’d beat me and still beat me. But yeah, I think just his effort,” He said. “I think he works really hard, especially as a coach and as a player. I want to be more like that and I think I can grow in that. That’s what sets me apart: effort.”

Initially, he planned to play under his father at Drake. Once he came to Iowa, it became a natural destination. Naturally, there are questions regarding the father-son dynamic and their perception. 

“You just can’t think about it really,” Peyton said. “You just have to think about coming every day, working hard. Don’t worry about the pressure and it’ll all figure itself out if you trust yourself.” For now, he will recover from his foot injury and cheer from the sidelines as the Hawkeyes aim to go further in the NCAA tournament.