Dusty May, who guided the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship last season, has now turned his attention to the NBA after a brief but celebrated tenure.
Despite the shock of losing their championship‑winning coach, the program has not stalled. Interim head coach Mike Boynton has managed to keep the core of that squad together, preserving most of the players who helped secure the title.
A New Chapter for Michigan
The Wolverines enter the 2026‑27 campaign ranked inside the top five by both ESPN and analyst Jon Rothstein, a testament to the confidence placed in Boynton’s vision and the returning talent.
Among the holdovers, forward Quinn Costello stands out as a McDonald’s All‑American who was ranked 32nd overall in the 2026 recruiting class, while guard LJ Cason, a rising junior, is working his way back from an ACL injury that sidelined him for much of the previous season.
Boynton has also confirmed that all five projected starters, including Trey McKenney and Brandon McCoy, will return, giving the team continuity on both ends of the floor.
Elliot Cadeau, widely regarded as one of the premier point guards in college basketball, is slated to take on an expanded play‑calling role, with Boynton earmarking him as the offensive coordinator in a setup reminiscent of his defensive coordinator duties.
The strategic shift draws on Boynton’s track record of shaping top‑20 defenses at Oklahoma State, where he helped Cade Cunningham capture the program’s only NCAA Tournament victory.