Michigan AD Warde Manuel Says Dusty May Has Agreed to Contract Extension

Manuel revealed the news during Saturday's national title celebration.

Dusty May was all smiles as Michigan celebrated its national championship on Saturday in Ann Arbor. | David Rodriguez Muñoz / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan and men’s basketball coach Dusty May have agreed to a contract extension, athletic director Warde Manuel revealed during the team’s national championship celebration on Saturday in Ann Arbor.

“He will be the leader of this basketball team for many years to come,” Manuel told fans at the Crisler Center on Saturday afternoon.

Michigan AD Warde Manuel announces that he and Dusty May have agreed to a deal on a new contract. pic.twitter.com/mItjExCo8E

— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) April 11, 2026

The extension comes as little surprise, after May guided Michigan to its first national title in 37 years over UConn on Monday night. May took over the program two seasons ago, replacing Juwan Howard, and quickly turned the Wolverines back into a winner. Howard went 8–24 in his final season at Michigan in 2023–24, and May has gone 64–13 with two NCAA tournament appearances and a national championship in the two seasons since.

May is currently the 19th-highest paid coach in college basketball, with an annual salary of $4.65 million, according to The Michigan Insider. That figure came courtesy of a contract extension that the 49-year-old May signed last February that pushed his total salary to $25.5 million through the 2029–’30 season.

While the compensation has yet to be reported on May’s new contract, it’s safe to assume that he will be one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball fresh off a national championship.

Michigan’s Warde Manuel said previously that May wasn’t going anywhere

Manuel told reporters during the NCAA tournament that he would do everything that he could to ensure that May remained in Ann Arbor. 

“Any AD in America would want to have a coach that other people want,” Manuel said. “I’ve had the opposite problem. And I love this problem more than I love the opposite problem. We’ll deal with it, we’ll work through it. I want Dusty to finish his career here at Michigan. I’ll work to make sure that he’s happy and we have what we need, he has what he needs to succeed. That’s it, period.”

It was reported during the Final Four by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello that May was not pursuing any other college basketball jobs—an indication that an extension was coming after the national title game.

May was on the short list at North Carolina before informing Michigan officials that he had no intention on leaving

North Carolina would have loved to have poached May from Michigan. But the further the Wolverines advanced in the NCAA tournament, the less likely it became that May would be in play for the job. The Tar Heels preferred to make a hire quickly, but with Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd opting to remain with the Wildcats, the hiring process dragged out longer than the program would have liked.

Once Lloyd agreed to remain at Arizona, May was among a handful of candidates reported to be next on the list in Chapel Hill. But heading into Final Four weekend, it sounded more-and-more likely that May would stay in Ann Arbor.

“After last year, I decided that I’ll never ever respond to any job speculation,” May said before informing Michigan officials that he was staying. “I think it’s well-documented how happy I am at Michigan. Obviously, my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important.”

Michigan has a strong core returning already for next season

The Wolverines have agreed to deals for next season with Final Four Most Outstanding Player Elliott Cadeau, as well as Big Ten All-Freshman guard Trey McKenney. The backcourt will be among the Big Ten’s best and will be the two pillars that Michigan will build the rest of its roster around.

Star forward Yaxel Lendeborg is off to the NBA, while Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter have also exhausted their eligibility.

NBA decisions await for Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., who otherwise would be key pieces to next season’s starting lineup should they return.

As far as the portal is concerned, Michigan has already landed a commitment from Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella, who will certainly play a major role for the Wolverines. Expect Michigan to continue to be active in the portal in the coming weeks to supplement an incoming freshman class that will be among college basketball’s best. Brandon McCoy Jr. is the nation’s No. 14 overall recruit in 2026, per 247Sports. He will be joined by 4-star wing Lincoln Cosby, 4-star big man Quinn Costello and 4-star wing Joseph Hartman. Michigan also will lean on contributions from 3-star wing Malachi Brown and international prospect Marcus Moller. Moller’s status will need to be monitored however, as he is currently undergoing treatment for testicular cancer.

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