When the final buzzer sounded on Michigan's National Championship victory, the celebration had barely begun before the transfer portal officially opened. For head coach Dusty May and his staff, there was no time to rest on their laurels.

Two years ago, May took over a Michigan program that had won just eight games the previous season. His first move? Rebuilding through the portal, filling his starting lineup with four transfers and guiding the Wolverines to a Sweet 16 appearance. Last offseason, he assembled one of the nation's top portal classes—and 12 months later, they cut down the nets.

But this spring presented a unique challenge: time was no longer on May's side.

While preparing for a championship run, May and his coaching staff had to keep one eye on the future. When the portal officially opened, they found themselves making scholarship offers to players they'd barely spoken with—and none of them had even visited campus. Yet, in less than three weeks after winning it all, May secured three key signees, with more potentially on the way to round out the roster.

"Every big guy that went in the portal became our list," May explained recently. "Like, literally 100 percent of the big guys that were high major players became our list because we didn't know what the other guys were going to do. You just have to put yourself in as many positions as you can to be successful."

The speed of it all is dizzying. "It happens so fast. There's a title wave coming at you and you're trying to find the best fit," May added. "There were a couple times when we thought there were guys that were going to come and just for whatever reason didn't want to risk waiting on an NBA process. Each case is just drastically different."

Navigating the transfer portal is a unique balancing act. Unlike high school recruits who follow a long-term development plan, transfers are looking to maximize their opportunities in a shorter window. Add in players leaving programs and NBA Draft decisions that keep eligibility intact, and constructing next season's roster becomes a high-stakes puzzle.

For Michigan fans, the message is clear: the championship trophy is shiny, but the work never stops.