The argument that Michigan ‘bought’ its national championship was flatly absurd, considering Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Dusty May’s roster cost about $10 million last season, while Kentucky spent a reported $22 million on its roster for a second-round NCAA Tournament exit. May didn’t spend more; he spent smarter, and coming off a title, that $10 million figure seems to be rising.
According to Front Office Sports, May is anticipating the cost of his roster to go up, saying, “We anticipate it to be much greater next year because of the job our players did this past season."
While there is much angst about the escalating costs of fielding a contending roster in college sports, it’s a good thing for Michigan that its roster will be even more expensive next season.
NEW: Dusty May expects Michigan's roster cost to increase, surpass $10 million in 2026-27:
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) April 30, 2026
"Obviously, our guys have been able to generate a lot of revenue outside of what they were contracted for throughout the season. ... We anticipate it to be much greater next year because… pic.twitter.com/tlwRMEJQuU
Michgan’s 2026-27 roster expected to exceed $10 million
Revenue-sharing is a fixed amount that rises incrementally for all the Power Conference programs at the same rate. The percentage that basketball is allocated varies from school to school, but in May’s admission about the rising cost of his roster, he doesn’t appear to be saying Michigan is directing more of its direct pay-to-play money to basketball.
Instead, he’s saying that, because of last season’s success, his roster is generating greater value on the organic NIL market and his program is generating greater NIL backing outside of the revenue-sharing cap. It will cost more to keep Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. than it did to acquire them after winning it all, but from the sound of May's responses to FOS, the money is flowing freely to Ann Arbor.
May has built a reputation as one of the best coaches in the country at extracting surplus value on the transfer portal market. Of course, May paid a premium for Yaxel Lendeborg, who was one of the best players in college basketball. However, he also turned Cadeau and Aday Mara, who were viewed as damaged goods last offseason, into key cogs on a national title-winning roster.
That’s not a skillset he should be willing to forfeit in favor of paying top dollar for the top-ranked transfers with the most notoriety. Still, if additional NIL backing can get him into the mix for those players, as it has with Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, that’s not a bad thing.
It doesn’t appear that Michigan will land Harris, and the NBA draft decisions of Mara, Cadeau, and Morez Johnson Jr. will largely determine the Wolverines' final roster. Maybe the additional money flowing to Ann Arbor will help sway them back for another season. Either way, with an impressive portal haul, the Wolverines are set up for a strong title defense.
Rosters are going to keep getting more expensive in college sports. In some cases, that’s a major strain on the program. For Michigan, a more expensive roster is only a good thing.
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