Kyle Whittingham and general manager Dave Peloquin kept the momentum rolling Monday, with Michigan officially announcing four key support-staff additions and the great John Brice adding reporting on two significant personnel hires.
Leading the operations wave is Alayna Williamson, named Chief of Staff. She held the exact same role at Utah since 2024, where she helped streamline day-to-day program functions, player professional networking, and academic support. Williamson’s presence, which has been ongoing for several months sources added, ensures Whittingham’s system remain intact in Ann Arbor.
Joining her on the operations side are two more newcomers. Natalia Benitez-Hilton steps in as Director of Football Operations after climbing the ranks at Utah from student equipment manager in 2020 to coach’s assistant and director of on-campus recruiting. She took a brief detour into pro sports with the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth before returning to the college game. Evan Roka, a University of Michigan graduate and Corunna native with prior experience in Michigan football operations and performance nutrition, was elevated to Assistant Director of Operations—adding institutional knowledge to the mix.
Ben Redell rounds out the support staff as Executive Assistant to the Head Coach and Director of Logistics, bringing nearly five years of collegiate football experience to the role.
On the personnel front, the Wolverines are adding NFL pedigree in Chris Pettit, now Assistant General Manager of Player Personnel. The longtime New York Giants executive (2004-2022) climbed to Director of College Scouting and contributed to Super Bowl victories in 2007 and 2011. Post-NFL, he co-founded Scout Smarter AI, giving Michigan cutting-edge, data-driven evaluation tools for the NIL and portal eras.
Michigan is also welcoming back one of its own. Ron Bellamy, a former Wolverine wide receiver (1999-2002) and recent assistant coach under both Harbaugh and Moore, returns as Senior Director of Recruiting Relations. His deep recruiting connections, Midwest relationships, and intimate understanding of Michigan culture make him an ideal fit for player personnel and NIL work.
Together with earlier additions like Skylar Phan (Director of Recruiting from USC), these moves create a front office that blends Whittingham’s trusted Utah machine, elite NFL scouting expertise, and authentic Michigan bloodlines.
Spring practice is already underway, with the spring game set for April 18. While the on-field product will always get the headlines, these behind-the-scenes hires are the foundation for sustained success in modern college football.
Quietly but efficiently, Whittingham is professionalizing Michigan at every level. The infrastructure is catching up to the tradition—and Year 1 of the new era is off to a very strong start.