Michigan has found its replacement for Juwan Howard.
The school announced Sunday morning that it has agreed to a five-year contract with Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May. His contract is for five years and averages $3.75 million per season.
“For nearly two decades, Dusty May’s track record as a winner, including Florida Atlantic’s magical run to the 2023 Final Four, speaks volumes about him and his coaching,” Michigan athletics director Ward Manuel said in a statement. “We are very pleased to welcome Dusty and his family to the University of Michigan. He embodies the values of high integrity and outstanding character, along with an unparalleled understanding of the game of basketball.
May’s official hiring comes two days after Florida Atlantic was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by another Big Ten team. The Owls lost to Northwestern in the first round on Friday.
Maye spent the last six seasons at FAU, which served as his first coaching job in college basketball. He led the Owls to a Final Four run — they were one away from making the national championship game — last season and instantly made him one of the most sought-after coaches in the country. FAU went 25-9 this season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
He may be responsible for FAU’s only two seasons ranked in the national polls, compiling a 126-69 overall record in six years.
Michigan fired Howard earlier this month after being eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament at the hands of Penn State. The Wolverines finished the year on a nine-game losing streak, which marked their third losing streak last season with at least five losses, and their record was just 8-24. Howard finished with an 87-72 record, and made only two NCAA tournaments in five seasons. He dealt with several turbulent periods in Ann Arbor as well, including a suspension after hitting a Wisconsin assistant coach and a confrontation with Michigan’s coach earlier this season.
Maye has been linked to several high-profile jobs this season, including at Louisville, Ohio State, Vanderbilt and even Indiana — which chose to keep Mike Woodson despite Maye’s deep ties to the Hoosiers. Ohio State, which fired longtime coach Chris Holtmann, has already promoted interim coach Jake Deibler. Louisville parted ways with Kenny Payne earlier this month after a rough two-year tenure, and Vanderbilt fired coach Jerry Stackhouse.
Maye will now be tasked with reviving the Wolverines’ program, which has fallen badly after two deep tournament runs in 2021 and 2022. They went just 18-16 last season and missed the NCAA Tournament before a rough outing this year. But with the way he brought FAU onto the national stage for the first time in the program’s existence, the Wolverines are betting they can quickly replicate that success in Ann Arbor.
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