Mike Boynton Jr. Extends Offers as Head Coach — One to Son of Former MSU Legend

Mike Boynton Jr.'s first move as the Wolverines' new head coach was to offer the son of a Michigan State All-American.

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Back on July 10, Michigan opted to remove the interim tag on Mike Boynton Jr., making him the new basketball head coach. The Wolverines agreed to a two-year deal with Boynton Jr. — the deal happened before AD Warde Manuel's future with the university was in doubt.

But now that Boynton Jr. is the new official head coach, he can get to work. He already did a great job of retaining the roster. Every player, save for L.J. Cason, who hasn't announced anything, has re-affirmed their commitment to the Wolverines.

Boynton Jr. has to hire a few assistants to coach alongside him, with two coaches leaving Michigan to follow Dusty May and the Dallas Mavericks. But he also needs to hit the ground running with recruiting.

Boynton Jr. extends offer to son of Michigan State legend

Boynton Jr.'s first known offer he has extended since becoming the head coach at Michigan is to 2028 guard Mateen Cleaves Jr.

Cleeves Jr. is a 6'4", 200-pound guard out of Glendale (AZ) Dream City Christian. He is ranked as 247Sports Composite's No. 37 player in the 2028 cycle. The four-star prospect is also listed as the No. 6 point guard. Cleeves Jr. holds offers from Michigan State and Rutgers, too.

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His father, Cleeves Sr., was a three-time All-American in East Lansing, helping Michigan State win the national title in 2000. He was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four that season, and Cleeves Sr. was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999.

The offer to Cleeves Jr. likely won't resonate well with MSU fans or Tom Izzo, but you have to credit Boynton Jr. for offering him and attempting to get into his recruitment early. With Cleeves Jr. being a 2028 prospect, it's too early to tell where he might go, but you can expect both the Spartans and Wolverines to be a factor.

Michigan offers a 2028 five-star

Another offer that Boynton Jr. has extended is to 2028 five-star combo guard Brady Pettigrew. He is from Bolingbrook (IL) and is ranked as the No. 15 player in the 2028 cycle. Pettigrew is a 6'3", 185-pound prospect and is also listed as the top combo guard in the class.

Blessed to receive an offer from The university of Michigan!!! pic.twitter.com/RZQLsN9GiG

— Brady Pettigrew (@BradyPettigreww) July 12, 2026

Pettigrew holds offers from almost any program you can think of. The likes of Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, USC, and Memphis, among others, have all offered the five-star recruit.

Guard play is extremely important in Michigan's system. Boynton Jr. has already said he plans on running a similar style to that of Dusty May's. Both Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney will take on large roles this season, and both of them are likely going to be gone when Pettigrew, or Cleeves Jr., lands in the college ranks.

Both of these players could run the Wolverines' system, and Boynton Jr. is looking for good defense, and players who aren't selfish.