Smith was introduced as Maryland’s next athletic director on Thursday.
Maryland Athletics introduced its new athletic director Jim Smith in a press conference on Thursday.
Smith gave a glimpse of how he plans to lead Maryland’s athletic department in a changing time of college athletics.
Here are three takeaways from Smith’s introductory press conference.
Experience brought to Maryland
Smith will begin his tenure as Maryland’s athletic director on July 15, rather than July 1. University of Maryland president Darrell Pines revealed Smith has had a key role in the 2025 MLB All Star Game in Atlanta and will stay with the Atlanta Braves as senior vice president of business strategy until the event.
“That’s why he’s not starting on July 1, by the way, just so everybody knows, he’s committed to completing that job,” Pines said.
Smith is rooted in the Big Ten conference — he is a graduate of Northwestern and has a degree in sports management from Ohio State.
He also spent 10 years as president and CEO of Ohio State’s alumni association and has a history of supporting student athletes in college athletics, according to Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.
“Jim [Smith] brings a long and successful career in sports as an executive in professional leagues, teams and a deep history in college athletics,” Petitti said. “He’s a Big Ten guy.”
Smith mentioned his time with the then-named WWF — now WWE — as a learning experience he will bring to Maryland.
He highlighted he worked in many different industries and can bring those experiences to his role at Maryland.
“[President Pines] noticeably left out one opportunity that I worked in. My time with the World Wrestling Federation,” Smith said. “I was not a wrestler, but I learned a lot from the WWE … about the importance of brand and fan engagement.”
Related to his current job, he said he will find a way to involve the Braves with Maryland baseball and head coach Matt Swope.
The new era of college athletics
It’s no secret college athletics has changed drastically in recent years, and it was one of the reasons Maryland hired Smith as athletic director.
“I think if you were to say four years ago, this job is different and I’m not the candidate,” Smith said. “I think it’s just evolved to the point today where it requires someone who understands how a campus operates and can bring in different experiences on how to generate additional revenue that has been in a lot of different areas.”
Smith, however, did not reveal his plan to amplify Maryland athletics in terms of name, image and likeness, as well as revenue share.
He mentioned Maryland’s $20.5 million investment in revenue share to complement each athletic program with strong recruiting and make Maryland a collegiate powerhouse.
“There’s a good plan in place for the short term, and I’m looking to kind of amplify that plan as soon as I can,” Smith said. “Then we have to figure out how we’re going to complement that so we can continue to recruit at the highest level.”
Smith also spoke of his connections with Maryland’s head coaches — many of whom were in attendance on Thursday — as well as being in touch with alumni and supporters.
Jim Smith stands with Maryland Athletics coaches to introduce him as athletic director. pic.twitter.com/L8VyTHODDP
— Ben Messinger (@benmessi_) May 22, 2025
“We wanted someone aligned with our mission and values … and we wanted someone with impactful ideas on how to navigate the quickly changing world of collegiate athletics,” Pines said. “I am proud to say that Jim Smith not only met and checked all these boxes, but exceeded those requirements and that is why he is the perfect choice.”
Building a Maryland connection
Smith said ESPN host and Maryland alumni Scott Van Pelt was the first person to reach out to him after being announced as Maryland’s athletic director. Van Pelt was in attendance on Thursday, along with former Maryland men’s basketball coach Gary Williams.
Smith mentioned his excitement for Kermit the Frog and his commencement speech on Thursday, but not his hiring as the new athletic director.
“It’s really an honor to be the warm-up for Kermit,” Smith said. “I am thrilled to be here today and I’m obviously more than happy to take a back seat to that legendary Terp.”
Even with President Pines calling Thursday a ‘Kermencement day’ for Kermit the Frog and ‘Jimencement day’ for Smith, Smith’s remarks prove he has already started to build a connection with Maryland.
After the departure of previous athletic director Damon Evans to SMU, Maryland’s athletic department is in a unique place. Former Maryland men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard departed to Villanova and was replaced with Buzz Williams by interim athletic director Collen Sorem.
Maryland has the coaches in place to succeed, but needed a leader to delegate resources. Smith hopes to be that person.
“We’re going to build the best athletic program in the country,” Smith said.
Smith mentioned the importance of fan engagement at Maryland; he said he wants to take his experiences from the Braves, Ohio State, WWE and Arthur M. Blank Sports & Entertainment (AMBSE) to create the best experience for Maryland fans.
“We’re going to focus on filling SECU Stadium in Xfinity Center with Terp fans, and we’re going to give the best fan experience in the country,” Smith said.