Michigan hiring head coach who made the Final Four last season

May leaves FAU after six seasons at the helm in which he transformed the Owls from an afterthought to a contender over that time. He went 126-69 overall while helping the program earn a CUSA Championship and a trip to the Final Four in 2023 before another tournament bid this season. 

FAU's run in this year's tournament ended in a loss to Northwestern in overtime on Friday. Afterward, Michigan was reportedly aggressive in its pursuit of May. 

Unsurprisingly, several schools were interested in his services, but Michigan won him over, per Wojnarowski. 

"Several high-major programs -- including Louisville of the ACC and Vanderbilt of the SEC -- pursued May as a coaching candidate, but May ultimately became swept away with the alumni network and its fierce loyalty to the university and athletics, sources said," Wojnarowski wrote. "He believes that will help transcend some of the inherently transactional nature of the modern NIL/transfer portal era in recruiting and player retention."

May will fill the shoes of Howard, who Michigan fired on March 15 after five seasons on the Ann Arbor sideline. The former Coach of the Year presided over a Wolverines' squad that missed the tournament for the second consecutive season following a dismal 8-24 finish to the campaign. 

Howard's final season with the program was a tumultuous one. After undergoing a heart procedure in September, he didn't coach his first game with Michigan until December. Likewise, an altercation with the team's strength and conditioning coach nearly led to his dismissal. 

Now, it's May's team. 

May once helped a fledgling program rise from obscurity, but he'll face the challenge of bringing a once prominent program back to relevance. Whether or not he can have more sustained success than Howard remains to be seen, but for the moment, Michigan believes he is the right man for the job.