Mike Boynton Jr. is no longer wearing the interim label at Michigan. The Wolverines have officially handed him the head coaching job on a two-year deal, giving him the full-time title after he steadied the program through a chaotic stretch.
Warde Manuel made the announcement and praised Boynton Jr. as someone who understands what Michigan expects.
"Mike is a veteran assistant with strong head coaching experience and a clear understanding of the standard we expect at Michigan," Warde Manuel said. "Over the past two seasons, he has been an invaluable member of our staff, bringing stability, leadership and perspective during an important period of success. Our players and staff believe in his vision, are committed to his leadership and are excited for the opportunity to pursue great success together this season."
Michigan also framed the move on social media as the start of a new chapter, calling Boynton Jr. a “familiar leader” and pointing to a “championship foundation.”
The promotion comes after Dusty May left for the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks, a move that created immediate uncertainty around the Wolverines’ roster. With the transfer portal already closed, Michigan was staring at a real possibility of losing pieces fast.
Boynton Jr. moved quickly and kept the group together. At this point, every player on the roster has committed to staying, with only L.J. Cason still waiting to make his intentions public.
Now the bigger challenge shifts from the roster to the bench.
Michigan has already lost assistant coach Drew Williamson, who was seen working with Morez Johnson Jr. in Dallas Mavericks gear before reports surfaced that he had joined May in Dallas. Before May left, he had also brought in overseas coach Mody Maor to Ann Arbor, but Maor is not expected to be on the Wolverines’ sideline this season either, after taking a job with May.
That leaves Boynton Jr. with three staff openings to sort through: his own old assistant role, plus the spots vacated by Williamson and Maor.
It’s a significant rebuild behind the scenes, even if the roster has mostly held firm. Boynton Jr. still has Akeem Miskdeen, Kyle Church, and KT Harrell on staff, along with strength and conditioning coach Matt Aldred. Justin Joyner had already left for a head coaching job at Oregon State before May’s move to the NBA, further thinning out what had been a loaded group in Ann Arbor.
So while Boynton Jr. has already handled one major piece of the job, the next one is staring him right in the face: filling out a staff and getting Michigan ready for the season with a new look around him.
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The timing matters because the group around him is starting to take shape, too, with nearly all of the players from last season expected back. That kind of continuity gives Boynton a real base to work with as he settles into the role, and it also raises the stakes for what Michigan can do with a roster that already looks far more intact than many expected when the coaching change first hit. [Read more 🡒]