After firing Juwan Howard a few weeks ago, Michigan has quickly found its new head coach. Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May will head north to Ann Arbor to be the next coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Here is what this means for Michigan and the rest of the Big Ten.
Michigan Hires Dusty May as its Next Head Coach
This comes as a bit of a shock. Although May has been linked to many jobs, he was not as heavily linked to Michigan as some other coaches. But, he is undeniably a great coach and he will fit well in Michigan. He is from the Midwest and was an assistant at Eastern Michigan. He also went to Indiana, where he was a student manager for the team.
May has had a successful tenure at FAU. In 2023, he won the Conference USA championship and made the Final Four. He then followed that up in 2024 with another NCAA tournament appearance, but the Owls lost to Northwestern in the first round. He has also found underrated recruits like Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis and coached them to be all-conference caliber players. With Michigan’s NIL budget and the prestige of the Big Ten, May should be able to bring in even more talented players.
What May’s Hiring Means for the Big Ten
Although this is excellent news for Michigan fans, May’s hiring has a larger impact on the Big Ten as a whole. May was one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel and was wanted by many major programs. One school that was heavily linked to him was Ohio State. Many considered May to be the top candidate for the position. But, with the Buckeyes still playing in the NIT and rumored to hire interim coach, Jake Diebler, the Wolverines were able to scoop up May.
But the fanbase that is probably most upset with this news is Indiana. Many fans in the Hoosier state have grown frustrated with current coach Mike Woodson, especially after losing the commitment of Liam McNeeley and being unable to secure a commitment for Derik Queen. This was all amplified by a poor season in which the Hoosiers missed March Madness. But, there was a light at the end of the tunnel; Dusty May. Many Indiana fans believed May was destined to be the Hoosiers’ next head coach once Woodson was eventually fired. This move complicates things as May would be unlikely to leave Michigan in the next few years should Woodson be fired.
Only time will tell if this move is successful. After losing a lot of talent, including the transfers of Dug McDaniel and Tarris Reed, Michigan will be in full rebuild mode. Don’t look for May to come out firing on all cylinders. It took him a few years to get things going at Florida Atlantic. However, if given enough time, Dusty May will be able to return Michigan to its dominance of the past decade.
