Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel shares thoughts on Dusty May contract extension

Michigan men’s basketball may have raised some questions with its loss to MSU Friday night, but it erased any doubt about the future of its head coach Dusty May. Just over two hours before tip-off against the Spartans, U-M athletic director Warde Manuel announced May and the program agreed to a multi-year agreement. 

Per CBS Sports, here are the details of the contract:

• A one-year extension on the deal, which now runs through the spring of 2030
• An increase of $1 million annually in salary
• A pay bump across the board for the Michigan men’s basketball staff
• A big increase investment for program resources, including Michigan’s NIL war chest
• A buyout that will rise to $7.5 million

Michigan basketball coach Dusty May agrees to contract extension 

The extension comes amid a resurgence for the Wolverines, but it might not be the only reason May got a new deal mid-season. A few weeks ago, it was announced that Indiana head coach Mike Woodson would step down following this season. May was a student manager for the Hoosiers (1996-2000), and many considered him to be a candidate for the upcoming head coach vacancy.

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Manuel said the extension had nothing to do with potential interest from Indiana.

“I told Dusty when I sat and talked to him about a week ago, I said, ‘First of all it’s been a great season, I’m proud of you. You’ve accomplished far more than I ever thought you would at this point in your tenure here’,” Manuel said after Friday’s game. “But what made me mad is that we started to talk about this before they went to Indiana and all that started.

“So I want to assure you all that this has nothing to do with the reaction to that.”

May rebuilt nearly the entire roster through the transfer portal last off-season. Given his track record, Michigan fans likely expected him to succeed, but probably not so quickly. Manuel said May has embraced everything that comes with being a Michigan man.

“When I met with him 11 months ago and sat down and talked to him, he’s everything that he talked about wanting to be for this team, his players, this community, the connection to our donors, the connection to the president, fans, the students, everything that he’s done with the program,” Manuel said. “Then you look at the development of the team, and the way they gel together.

“This has nothing to do with one loss, or one win, or whatever. It is about what he has brought. I just wanted to make sure he knew how much I appreciated (him), and wanted him to be here and get a new contract.”

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