Why Michigan named Mike Boynton interim coach following Dusty May's departure to Mavericks

The former Oklahoma State coach will try to keep a loaded Wolverines roster intact for another NCAA title run

Jun 22, 2026 at 1:56 pm ET • 3 min read

Michigan is elevating Mike Boynton to the role of interim coach for the 2026-27 season following Dusty May's departure for the Dallas Mavericks, with the possibility Boynton will be promoted to permanent coach of the Wolverines in the days or weeks ahead, CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported Monday. 

Boynton spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach under May, taking ownership of the Wolverines defense and playing a pivotal role in Michigan's national title run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

The former Oklahoma State coach brings seven seasons of high-major head coaching experience to the position and some stability amid May's offseason departure. By elevating Boynton for the season ahead, Michigan is positioning itself to potentially retain a significant portion of its roster.

With starting guards Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney returning and joined by the nation's No. 4 recruiting class and No. 12 transfer class, the Wolverines are ranked No. 3 in Gary Parrish's Top 25 And 1. They are also considered a No. 2 seed in the latest CBS Sports 2027 Bracketology projection.

To maintain such lofty offseason projections, Boynton will need to keep the Wolverines' 2026-27 roster intact. A 15-day window to enter the transfer portal will be available to Michigan's players within a week after the school officially announces Boynton's role for the season ahead.

Because of his familiarity with the roster, Boynton is likely better suited for the task of holding Michigan's roster together than an outside hire would have been. The 44 year-old former South Carolina point guard received a ringing endorsement from May at the Final Four.

"He's just as good as I am," May said in April. "He's just as prepared. He's been invaluable for me. The best part about him is he covers my blind spots before they're blind. There's not a day that goes by that he doesn't call me and want to take something off of my plate that I haven't thought of, and that's what he is. He's a forward thinker. He's got a great feel for people."

2026 NBA Mock Draft: After hiring Michigan's Dusty May, Mavericks take former Wolverines star Aday Mara

Cameron Salerno

What alternative did Michigan have?

If Michigan weren't confident in Boynton's ability to retain players currently on the 2026-27 roster, the case can be made that the Wolverines would have been better off trying to hire a sitting head coach from another school.

Going that route would have opened up the roster at that coach's former school to be poached, which would have given the Wolverines a chance to backfill in the event of a talent exodus. 

Conducting a search that landed on an inactive coach — even a big-name like Billy Donovan — would not have brought similar benefits. In fact, it could have led to a disastrous outcome for the 2026-27 season: Michigan could have lost key players to the portal with no way to replace them at this point on the offseason calendar.

If Boynton can keep the team together, he'll have an excellent roster to work with and to prove he deserves the full-time job. It's the ultimate shot at redemption for a coach who was dealt a tough hand at Oklahoma State.

Boynton's background

Boynton was elevated to the head coach of Oklahoma State in 2017 after Brad Underwood abruptly took the Illinois job. Boynton found sporadic success, including three 20-win seasons. But his program was hammered by the NCAA in 2020 for the alleged wrongdoing of assistant coach Lamont Evans, who was caught up in an FBI probe into college basketball recruiting.

The Cowboys were hit with a postseason ban. They were also placed on probation for three years and hit with a scholarship reduction and fines. These penalties came even though Boynton was never charged or attached to the case. Evans was no longer part of Oklahoma State's program by the time Boynton coached his first game for the Cowboys.

Insult to injury came in 2023 when Oklahoma State was the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament's field of 68.

Just a month after Oklahoma State fired Boynton in 2024, May hired him to be part of his first staff with the Wolverines. With Boynton coordinating the attack, Michigan ranked No. 12 in defensive efficiency at KenPom.com in 2024-25 before finishing this past season at No. 1 in the same category.