Brandon McCoy Jr. to Miss 2026-27 Season with ACL Injury

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan’s promising backcourt of the future just took a brutal hit before it ever reached Crisler Center.

Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. announced Tuesday that freshman guard Brandon McCoy Jr. will miss the entire 2026-27 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee, a crushing blow for a Wolverines program that expected the five-star recruit to play a central role from day one.

McCoy’s injury came early in Michigan’s European tour finale against KK Mega SUPERBET in Montenegro, cutting short what had been an eye-catching first glimpse of the highly touted guard in a Wolverines uniform. He had burst onto the scene in Lithuania, looking every bit the crown jewel of the 2026 signing class.

In just two games overseas, McCoy averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals, numbers that only hinted at his two-way impact. He opened his Michigan career against the Lithuania National Team with 14 points, five rebounds and four steals, then followed it with 15 points and five boards against the Lithuania National B Team. The production was there. So was the swagger.

Then it stopped on one play.

The program confirmed the ACL injury but did not provide a timetable beyond ruling him out for the season. The school said further updates on McCoy’s surgery and recovery will come when available.

For Boynton, still shaping Michigan in his own image, McCoy was expected to be a foundational piece — a guard who could pressure the ball, rebound above his position and score in bunches. Instead, the Wolverines now pivot into a season without the player who had already started to look like their future.

McCoy’s rehab journey begins before his college career truly does. How quickly he returns, and how close he comes to the explosive form he showed in Europe, may end up defining more than one Michigan season.