Michigan retains 5-star McCoy after May's Mavericks exit
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- Brandon McCoy Jr. is staying with Michigan after coach Dusty May's departure for the Dallas Mavericks, sources told ESPN, making him the latest key player from the 2026-27 roster to confirm he won't follow May out.
- Dusty May left last month — less than three months after leading Michigan to the national championship — after going 64-13 overall and 33-7 in Big Ten play across two seasons in Ann Arbor.
- Athletic director Warde Manuel appointed assistant Mike Boynton as interim head coach when announcing May's exit, and a wave of players followed with stay-put announcements: projected starting guard Trey McKenney (hours after the change), Final Four Most Outstanding Player Elliot Cadeau (days later), and incoming transfers Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) and JP Estrella (Tennessee) earlier this week.
- McCoy — a 6-foot-4 guard from Sierra Canyon High School in California, ranked No. 18 in the final SC Next 100 for the class of 2026 and a McDonald's All American — was the crown jewel of Michigan's 2026 class and May's first five-star recruit as a head coach.
- Michigan's 2026 recruiting class includes three other SC Next 100 prospects — Quinn Costello (No. 28), Lincoln Cosby (No. 45) and Joseph Hartman (No. 91) — all expected to keep their commitments to the Wolverines.
Why it matters: A reigning national champion losing its head coach to the NBA would normally trigger a roster exodus, but Michigan has now retained its crown-jewel 2026 recruit, its projected starting guard, its Final Four MOP, and two incoming transfers — preserving the core of a roster that went 64-13 under May. The test now shifts to interim Mike Boynton, who must hold a title-winning team together without a head-coaching track record of his own.
