2026-27 Big Ten offseason at a glance: Michigan Wolverines

Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau.

Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2026-27 season.

Today: Michigan (37-3 in 2025-26, 19-1 in Big Ten play)

Previously: Penn State, Rutgers, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, Purdue, USC, Indiana, UCLA, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan State

For the first time since 2000, a Big Ten program hoisted the national championship trophy in men’s basketball, with Michigan cutting down the nets in Indianapolis in April.

The program’s momentum was at an all-time high until Monday morning’s stunning announcement of Dusty May leaving Ann Arbor to coach the Dallas Mavericks.

Assistant coach Mike Boynton was elevated to interim head coach on Monday afternoon. Boynton spent two seasons as an assistant under May, after a head-coaching stint at Oklahoma State. With the Cowboys, he amassed a 119-109 record, coaching No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham in the 2020-2021 season.

Michigan roster movement

Players returning with eligibility: Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, L.J. Cason, Oscar Goodman, Ricky Liburd

Players departing due to exhausted eligibility: Aday Mara (NBA draft), Roddy Gayle Jr., Nimari Burnett, Yaxel Lendeborg, Will Tschetter, Morez Johnson Jr. (NBA draft)

Players who departed via transfer portal: Winters Grady (to Minnesota), Malick Kordel (to Minnesota)

Players arriving via transfer portal: J.P. Estrella (from Tennessee), Moustapha Thiam (from Cincinnati), Jalen Reed (from LSU)

Players arriving from high school/overseas: Brandon McCoy, Quinn Costello, Lincoln Crosby, Joseph Hartman, Malachi Brown, Marcus Moller

With May’s sudden departure, every player on the roster will have a window next month to enter the transfer portal. Thus far, no Michigan players have signaled an intention to leave Ann Arbor.

As it stands, Michigan reloaded to have one of the best rosters in the conference. Despite returning only 36.3 percent of their scoring, the Wolverines brought in the fourth-best recruiting class in the country and the 12th-best transfer portal class.

Five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr. spearheads the loaded freshman class that also includes a quartet of four stars.

What to like about Michigan

What hasn’t there been to like about a roster that Dusty May has put together at Michigan?

He and his staff assembled another all-around team with abundant talent and depth.

Elliot Cadeau will once again pilot Michigan on both ends at the point guard position. Last season, the North Carolina transfer averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists per contest on 41.1 percent shooting. He was the most outstanding player of the 2026 Final Four.

The Wolverines once again stacked their frontcourt with size via the transfer portal. Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam stands at 7-foot-2 and will be a viable option to replace the production of Aday Mara, while Tennessee transfer big J.P. Estrella will also provide a presence in the paint.

What to question with Michigan

The main focus on Michigan for the rest of the summer and into the fall will be on how Boynton fares in his second stint at the Power 5 level. He only made the NCAA tournament once in his seven seasons at Oklahoma State, reaching the Round of 32 in 2021.

Though it’s been a chaotic time around the program, elevating Boynton provides the current players with some semblance of continuity. He was the first assistant May hired at Michigan and played a key role in recruiting players to Ann Arbor.

If he continues to run a system similar to his ex-boss’s, then there is reason to believe that Michigan can be successful under its new head coach.

Michigan outlook for the 2026-27 season

Here’s Michigan’s Big Ten schedule for next season:

Home: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Washington

Away: Indiana, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin

Home/Away: Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State

Dusty May took Michigan basketball from the bottom of the barrel in the Big Ten to national champions in two seasons. His departure leaves a mammoth hole, but what he built before leaving should keep the program from imploding.

The Wolverines have a roster capable of being at the top of the conference for a second consecutive year.

See More: Commentary, 2026-27 Big Ten preview, Michigan Wolverines