The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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12 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2026 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FOOTBALL TO ADD FORMER BELICHICK STAFFER AS ASSISTANT GM Michigan is still building out its front office operations under head coach Kyle Whittingham and has added one of Bill Belichick's former right-hand men, Berj Najarian, as the program's new assistant general manager. Dave Peloquin was tabbed as the Wolverines' general manager earlier this offseason. "Michigan is set to hire Berj Najarian as the football pro- gram's new assistant general manager/strategy," ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on April 24. "He's going to help Kyle Whit- tingham's program with contracts, negotiations and strategy for the new college sports landscape. "Najarian was the longtime New England Patriots director of football/head coach administration under Bill Belichick. He most recently spent two years at Boston College as Bill O'Brien's chief of staff." Najarian, who joined the New England Patriots organiza- tion in 2000, has often been described as one of Belichick's most valued staffers during his time there. A 2011 profile on him from ESPN reads: "Point-person for day-to-day operations of the team and acts as liaison across football and non-football depart- ments. Najarian manages several elements of head coach Bill Belichick's off-field agenda, including football and stadium operations, player and staff communication, scheduling and personal requests. In addition, Najarian manages various special projects in coaching and player personnel." According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, "Najarian was, by all appearances, the most trusted member of Beli- chick's staff in New England. Everything went through Berj." Peloquin came over from a GM position with the Athletes First agency. Before that, he worked at Notre Dame for two decades and is seen as one of the front office pioneers in the college sports realm. "We're in lockstep with where we want to go and what our vision is," Whittingham said this spring. "We did a lot of research before making that hire. It's a critical hire. Your GM is one of the linchpins of your program, and we are absolutely on the same page. Dave is just a completely meticulous, thor- ough, organized individual, and that's what you have to be in recruiting. You better be very meticulous and thorough or you're going to get buried. "I'm excited to have him on board. He's put together a re- ally good supporting cast for himself in his department. Dave brings a lot to this program, and we're excited to have him. We're still one or two bodies away from being complete." NATIONAL CHAMPS SET REMATCH WITH DUKE, UCONN NEXT? Head coach Dusty May and the men's basketball program have scheduled difficult nonconference games over the last two seasons. That trend will continue in 2026-27 with a re- match with a couple of national powers. ESPN reported on April 30 that U-M and Duke will face off at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 21 less than a year after the Blue Devils handed the Wolverines one of their three losses last season, a 68-63 decision in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21. The upcoming showdown is part of a three- game deal between Duke and Amazon, which will stream the contest. Duke will also play UConn in Las Vegas on Nov. 25 and Gonzaga in Detroit on Feb. 20. Michigan and UConn, who played for the national title on April 6 in Indianapolis, are also working toward finalizing a deal to play Nov. 6 at TD Garden in Boston, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. The Wolverines will also take part in the Players Era Fes- tival for the second year in a row and will try to defend their crown in Las Vegas. Michigan will be part of the "Players Era Sixteen" bracket that plays Thanksgiving week, along with Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Oregon, San Diego State, St. John's, TCU, Tennessee and Texas Tech. Additionally, U-M will travel to Villanova for the second leg of its home-and-home series with the Wildcats, and the Wolverines will host Marquette Nov. 11 during the noncon- ference slate. Dates and further opponents will be set at a later time. — Anthony Broome MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK Berj Najarian (right) is joining the U-M football staff as assistant general manager. He spent more than two decades with Bill Belichick (left) and the New England Patriots. PHOTO COURTESY ESPN