Michigan reportedly has its next head basketball coach lined up. If finalized, that hiring will come in the form of one of the hottest names in the coaching cycle this season.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Wolverines are in the process of finalizing details on a long-term deal to hire Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May. The Owls were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Northwestern on Friday, a second straight March Madness appearance for FAU.

According to Wojnarowski, several other prominent programs were interested in hiring May this year. He specifically cited the ACC’s Louisville and the SEC’s Vanderbilt as high-major programs that pursued May. However, May was “swept away” by Michigan’s alumni network and its fierce loyalty to the university, per Wojnarowski’s sources.

Impact of the hiring

On the surface, this is a big win for Michigan in landing a rising head coach who was in demand. May’s work at FAU speaks for itself with 60 wins over the past two seasons, a mark only UConn (the reining national champions) and Houston have reached in college basketball over that time frame. The Owls made a Final Four appearance a season ago.

FAU’s .822 winning percentage in those two seasons was the 5th-best in Division I. May also has Indiana ties as an alum with previous assistant coaching stops with the Hoosiers to go with stops at USC, Eastern Michigan and Florida, among others.

The challenge ahead

After John Beilein returned the Wolverines to prominence, Juwan Howard followed as a prestigious alum with extensive experience as an NBA assistant coach. Expectations were high upon his arrival in Ann Arbor, and he opened his tenure with a bang.

The NCAA Tournament was canceled during Howard’s first season at Michigan, but he followed with a 1-seed and Elite 8 appearance in 2021 to go with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2022. The Wolverines also won the regular-season B1G title in 2021.

Unfortunately, Michigan missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, including a disastrous 2023-24 season that included 8 total wins and 17 losses in conference play. The program steadily regressed under Howard, despite the presence of NBA talent to work with.

Will May be able to turn things around? Fans can track the latest odds for his first season with the program via Tradition’s Michigan sports betting links and apps as he tries to build excitement in Ann Arbor.