Warde Manuel Gives Positive Outlook on Dusty May's Future at Michigan

Once North Carolina parted ways with Hubert Davis as its head coach, there were some big names that surfaced as potential replacement names — Michigan's Dusty May was among them. But shortly after, May reaffirmed his love for Michigan and how much it means to coach in Ann Arbor.

However, money speaks volumes and if the Tar Heels wanted May, they could pony up whatever they want. North Carolina is one of the biggest blue bloods of college basketball and if Michigan hopes to keep May, the Wolverines will also need to show it with a contract extension.

And according to Athletic Director Warde Manuel, that's what he hopes to accomplish.

"I want Dusty to be the coach at Michigan for a long time and continue to achieve great success. I will actively work with him towards making all that happen," Manuel told CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein on Wednesday.

May doubles down on his wish to coach for Michigan

The coaching rumors could be bad timing for a team that is attempting to win a national title. The Wolverines arrived in Chicago for their Sweet 16 game against Alabama. And on Thursday, Michigan met with the media.

Coach May was asked about his name being floated around as a potential replacement at North Carolina and why he chose Michigan in the first place. It was his wife, and what Michigan stands for.

Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May looks on during a practice session — Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

"Well, first and foremost, my wife," said May on Thursday. "She was always a big fan of Ann Arbor, the quality of life, everything that goes with the University of Michigan. And my family has always been a very important part of any decision that I've made, especially when you drag them around like I did chasing this dream.

"That's another reason why I don't get mad at these low major guys trying to move up to the mid major, because I was trying to do the same thing, and pride myself on not being hypocritical. But the opportunity to attract the best, the high achieving people that have a desire to be around the brightest students, the best professors, the alumni base who's connected.

"And I think Michigan is really unique. I'll tell you what we say in recruiting, that we have what we feel is the academic profile of Stanford with the passion of SEC football for our athletic department as a whole, and usually those two things aren't merged.

"So we're very proud that those two things are in great alignment at Michigan."

After originally signing a four-year deal in 2024, Michigan gave May another contract in 2025. It was for five years and an average of $5.1 million per year. The Wolverines will likely have to increase that number in the near future to keep May in Ann Arbor as long as possible.