New Michigan Rumors on HC Search After Dusty May Agrees to Mavs Contract

After the Dallas Mavericks hired Michigan's Dusty May as their new head coach on Monday, the Wolverines are targeting Mike Boynton Jr. to fill in on an interim basis, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Jeff Borzello and Adam Schefter.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported more on the situation:

Boynton joined May's staff at Michigan in 2024 and served as the team's defensive coordinator as it went on to win the national championship this past season. He previously served as head coach at Oklahoma State for seven seasons, leading the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021 and landing prized recruit Cade Cunningham, who was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft that year.

While Boynton appears to be the school's immediate option to fill in, the Wolverines would still need a long-term replacement for May.

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, former Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan headlines a lengthy list of head coaching candidates if Michigan conducts a wide-ranging search, also including Alabama's Nate Oats, Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger, Vanderbilt's Mark Byington, Texas Tech's Grant McCasland, Iowa's Ben McCollum and Saint Louis' Josh Schertz.

Borzello pointed out that Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel has dealt with a similar situation in the past, as the Wolverines lost head football coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL after he led them to the 2023 national championship. In that instance, Manuel went with an internal option and promoted offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to head coach.

It appears that Manuel is going the same route this time, but Donovan would have been an impressive hire. Before making the jump to the NBA, he coached Florida to two national championships. Borzello noted that he "was considered a primary candidate at North Carolina," but "nothing transpired." The Wolverines could still pursue him as their long-term head coach.

Michigan is hoping to maintain its status as a national championship contender next season, so promoting Boynton in the interim could be the team's best option to continue building off the momentum May left behind.