Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel announced that head coach Dusty May has received a contract extension. Manuel announced the news during the Wolverines’ championship parade on Saturday, less than a week after winning the national championship.
The details of the extension were not immediately made available. However, there was talk during Michigan’s Final Four run that May was considered to be a top candidate for the North Carolina job.
Now, Manuel is ensuring his national championship-winning head coach isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Though, even he didn’t expect such heights so quickly under May’s regime.
Michigan AD Warde Manuel reveals he and Dusty May have already reached an agreement on a contract extension 👀
The crowd (and the team) goes crazy 👏pic.twitter.com/Qx3VP0GVSt
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 11, 2026
May has cemented Michigan as a major player in college basketball for years to come under his guidance. With a title coming in just the second year of his tenure — the expectation for more is already there.
His Wolverines went 37-3, ending the year with an undefeated record on the road as 13-2 overall against ranked opponents. In turn, they earned a No. 1 seed heading into March Madness.
“When you bring a group this talented together and they decide from the beginning that they’re going to do it this way and they never waver and they never change, that’s probably the most uncommon thing in athletics now,” May said earlier in the week after winning the title. “It’s a tribute to their character but also those in their circles around them, their coaches, their parents, their mentors.
“They allowed these guys to give themselves up for the group, and it’s never guaranteed, but for these guys to cut down the nets after all they’ve sacrificed is pretty special.”
Michigan will have to reload quickly, as the NCAA transfer portal opened the day following their national championship win. He’s already done that, signing JP Estrella from Tennessee — the No. 59 player in the portal this cycle. However, Michigan has lost both Winters Grady and Malick Kordel to the portal all the same.
A major retention piece May has already been able to secure is that of guard Elliot Cadeau, the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Cadeau, who will be a junior next season, scored 19 points to lead the Wolverines in the championship win vs. UConn.
In turn, Michigan is expected to be right back in the mix next season. Now, May has a contract to match.