University of Minnesota Coaching Search: Top Candidates, Including Brett Larson, Emerge
University of Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle spoke Monday for the first time since coach Bob Motzko and the program parted ways last week. He signaled that a national search is advancing quickly.
Search progress and leading candidates
Coyle held Zoom interviews over the weekend while attending the NCAA tournament in St. Louis. Multiple sources identified St. Cloud State’s Brett Larson and Hartford Wolf Pack coach Grant Potulny as top prospects.
The University of Minnesota Coaching Search: Top Candidates, Including Brett Larson, Emerge as finalists in early reporting. By late Monday, Larson appeared to have the edge.
Brett Larson profile
Larson is a Duluth native and former University of Minnesota-Duluth defenseman. He took the St. Cloud State job in 2018 after helping UMD win a national title as an assistant.
He also served on USA Hockey staff under David Carle. That staff won World Junior gold in 2024 and 2025.
Grant Potulny profile
Potulny is a Gophers alum and former team captain. He won two national championships as a player and was the 2002 Frozen Four MVP.
His overtime goal clinched that 2002 title against Maine. Potulny began his head coaching career at Northern Michigan.
Why the change and how the process unfolded
Coyle said talks with Motzko began about a month ago. Motzko had one year remaining on a contract that paid $750,000.
After a season that ended with a loss to Penn State, and the program’s first losing record since 1999, Coyle met with Motzko last Monday and Tuesday. The conversations led both men to conclude a change was best for the program long term.
Coyle stressed he and Motzko are close and agreed on the next steps. He said recent shifts in college athletics influenced their decision.
Modern coaching demands
Coyle listed issues future coaches must handle. They include the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing, and Canadian major junior players arriving in the NCAA.
The athletic department may add general manager roles to manage off-ice business. The search committee includes about half a dozen people.
He noted past hires used remote interviews. He cited men’s basketball coach Nico Medved and women’s coach Dawn Plitzuweit as examples. He emphasized the need to move quickly before the transfer portal opens on April 13.
Women’s program and new coach
The school introduced Greg “Boom” May as the women’s head coach on Sunday. May spent the last three seasons as an associate on Brad Frost’s staff.
Frost’s teams won national titles in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016. The Gophers haven’t reached the title game since 2019.
May, who grew up in California and played at Burnsville, called his role a reboot rather than an overhaul. He said he plans to raise the team’s intensity, discipline, and accountability.
Motzko will turn 65 on Friday. Coyle said this year was hard on everyone and vowed to find a coach who can restore the program’s standards.
