Matt Johnson
The Dallas Mavericks shocked the college basketball world on Monday morning by hiring Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May to make the jump to the NBA. As May now prepares for the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night, a Wolverines coaching search has begun unexpectedly.
Regarding the situation, On3.com‘s Pete Nakos released a Michigan head coach hot board with assistant Mike Boynton, former Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz named as potential Wolverines coaching candidates.
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While May just delivered a national championship for Michigan’s men’s basketball team, his departure will have a sizable ripple effect for the program. The Wolverines are just a few months removed from pulling in a transfer portal class that featured four-star talents JP Estrella, Jalen Reed and Moustapha Thiam. That’s on top of a 2026 high school recruiting class, headlined by five-star commit Brandon McCoy, that On3 rated sixth nationally.
If maintaining continuity and limiting the potential exodus from the Wolverines roster is made the priority, Boynton might be the best option for the program. As Nakos notes, he has spent the last two seasons on May’s coaching staff at Michigan, and he does have head-coaching experience.
“The former Oklahoma State head coach has spent two seasons on May’s coaching staff at Michigan. A former point guard at South Carolina, Boynton has served as the program’s defensive coordinator the last two years. During his seven seasons at Oklahoma State, Boynton led the Cowboys to a 119-109 record, including a trip to the 2021 NCAA Tournament and two NIT quarterfinal appearances in 2018 and 2023. He had three 20-plus win seasons. Michigan could promote Boynton to head coach or name him interim head coach for the 2026-27 season as it conducts a national coaching search.”
Pete Nakos on Michigan Wolverines assistant coach Mike Boynton
The best option for Michigan outside the program might be Donovan. He was widely viewed as one of the leading targets for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ coaching search before the program landed on former NBA head coach Michael Malone. The 61-year-old hasn’t coached at the collegiate level since 2015, but he won back-to-back national championships with the Florida Gators, and he would be viewed as one of the best coaches in college basketball immediately upon a potential hiring.
If Donovan wants to take a year off after his most recent stint with the Bulls, perhaps Michigan could pivot to Schertz. The 50-year-old posted a 55-20 record in his final two seasons at Indiana State before taking over at Saint Louis. The program went 19-15 in his first season and then reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past season after posting a 29-6 record.
Michigan is obviously well-positioned to land whichever top coach it wants, and it could certainly poach another up-and-coming coach from another program. However, the real issue could be May’s exit opening the door for key players on the Wolverines roster to transfer out.
