Northwestern head coach Chris Collins isn't going anywhere.

Collins, the second-winningest coach in program history and the only man to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament, inked a contract extension that locks him into the Wildcat program through 2030, according to a statement that program released on Friday.

Rumors had been circulating on social media in recent weeks about programs like Indiana, Maryland, Villanova and Virginia having interest in the Wildcats' 12th-year coach. But he put an end to them on Friday.

"Northwestern is my family's home - I am really proud of what we have built over the last 12 years with our basketball program and couldn't be more excited to continue the journey together," said Collins, who grew up in nearby Northbrook, Ill. "I am grateful to President Michael Schill and [athletic director] Mark Jackson for their continued belief in me. We are all aligned to work to create even more history in the future. Go 'Cats!"

Collins has taken the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament three times during his tenure. They punched a ticket for the first time in school history in 2017. He then lead them back to the Big Dance in both 2023 and 2024, when the Wildcats finished second and third in the Big Ten, respectively, and won 24 conference games.

This year, despite losing two starters to season-ending injuries, Northwestern still finished with a winning record at 17-16 in what many experts called the best coaching job of Collins' career.

The Wildcats' 38 Big Ten wins over the last four years is the most successful stretch in conference for the program since 1930-34, according to the release.

"As the second all-time winningest coach in Northwestern Men's Basketball history – and quickly closing in on the record – Chris has no doubt proven himself as one of the top coaches in the country," said Jackson in the statement. "While his on the court performance certainly warrants this extension, I'm more impressed with what Chris represents off the court, the way our student-athletes carry themselves as young men, the way they graduate from one of the top institutions in the world, and the overall culture that everyone connected to Northwestern Basketball buys into.

"Chris, with the help of so many, has created all of it, including an environment in Welsh-Ryan Arena that is second to none. The energy of our basketball program helps elevate all aspects of our athletic department."

Northwestern's success under Collins helped the Wildcats complete a $110 million renovation of Welsh-Ryan Arena, which reopened in 2018. The Wildcats' home court has become a notoriously difficult place to play, with unprecedented student support that often created long lines to get into the arena. Northwestern beat the No. 1 team in the nation (Purdue) at Welsh-Ryan twice in a row in the 2023 calendar year.

Collins has recruited and coached some of the greatest players in Northwestern history during his tenure. Bryant McIntosh, the leader of the 2017 NCAA team and now an assistant coach, is the all-time leader in assists; Boo Buie is the program's all-time scoring leader with 2,187 points and a two-time, first-team All-Big Ten selection (2023 and 2024); and Chase Audige was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year (2023).

Collins, who was hired in 2013, has won 194 games at Northwestern, trailing only Dutch Lonborg, who won 236 from 1928-50. Collins was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award winner in 2023.