Michigan basketball has reached an agreement with Dusty May to become the team’s new head coach, signing a five-year contract.

Michigan basketball has appointed a new head coach.

The Free Press confirmed Saturday night that Michigan is bringing on Dusty May from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to serve as the program’s next head coach. May and Michigan have reached a five-year agreement.

Shortly after the news broke, U-M president Santa Ono took to social media to confirm the news, expressing his excitement in welcoming May to Ann Arbor.

At 47 years old, May has been at the helm of the Florida Atlantic program since 2018, playing a key role in the program’s transformation into a consistent NCAA tournament contender. Under May’s leadership, Florida Atlantic made a significant impact in the 2023 Final Four and secured a spot in the NCAA tournament as an 8 seed in 2024, though they were defeated by Northwestern.

May’s appointment fills a vacancy that lasted just over a week, following Michigan’s decision to part ways with Juwan Howard at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Wolverines failed to make the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year under Howard, concluding the season with the most losses in a single season in the school’s history, finishing with an 8-24 record and a 3-17 mark in Big Ten play.

Howard experienced early success during his five-year tenure in Ann Arbor, achieving an Elite Eight appearance in 2021 and a Sweet 16 berth in 2022. However, his alma mater witnessed a decline in performance during the last two seasons, where he amassed a 26-40 record with no postseason appearances.

Now, May assumes the responsibility of reviving Michigan’s status as a perennial tournament contender, reminiscent of its recent history. May played a pivotal role in transforming FAU from a team that often struggled in Conference USA to a formidable force in the past two seasons. Under his guidance, FAU reached the 2023 Final Four and narrowly lost to Northwestern in overtime during this year’s NCAA tournament.

During his six-year tenure as FAU’s head coach, May accumulated a commendable 126-68 overall record, clinching two Conference USA titles. His most impressive season occurred in 2022-23, guiding the Owls to a remarkable 35-4 record. This season, FAU posted a respectable 25-9 record.

The agreement between May and FAU stipulates a buyout fee of $1 million.

During May’s tenure, Florida Atlantic achieved six consecutive winning seasons, a feat not seen at the school since their 21-11 record in 2010-11, seven years prior to his arrival. He accomplished back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history since 1996-97 and became the inaugural coach in school history to achieve three consecutive winning seasons. Setting the foundation for success, May propelled FAU into a tournament-bound team by the 2022-23 season, dominating Conference USA with 18 conference victories and an overall record of 35 wins, falling just three short of the NCAA record.

Michigan marks May’s second head coaching position at the college level. Prior to this role, May served as a longstanding assistant coach at various institutions across the country, with his most recent stint at Florida spanning from 2015 to 2018. His previous coaching stops include Louisiana Tech, UAB, Murray State, and Eastern Michigan, where he initially began his coaching career as an assistant in the 2005-2006 season.

Before transitioning into coaching, May was involved in collegiate basketball in different capacities. While attending Indiana University, he served as a student manager. Following his time as a student, he held administrative roles at USC and Indiana before embarking on his coaching journey.