Maryland has hired Atlanta Braves executive Jim Smith as the school’s athletic director, the school announced Thursday.
Maryland’s pool featured primarily candidates from outside the mainstream of college athletics, sources told ESPN. Smith brings a blend of both professional sports experience and Big Ten experience from his time as an executive in MLB, the NFL and MLS as well as time at Ohio State.
Smith is the Braves’ senior vice president for business strategy, a job he’s held since 2020.
Smith also has been an executive with the Atlanta Falcons, including stints as the chief marketing officer and revenue office vice president and chief marketing officer. He has also worked as the general manager and vice president/general manager of the Columbus Crew of MLS from 2000-04.
His college experience includes working at Ohio State, which gives him Big Ten experience. His time at Ohio State included working in the athletic department as the associate athletic director for marketing and communications. He also served as Ohio State’s alumni association president and CEO, a role he left in 2020.
He also was the president of a sports consulting company, JS Sports Properties and Consulting, which advises on marketing, leadership and revenue maximization.
Smith’s blend of sports and business experience makes him equipped for modern college athletics. Maryland prioritized experience with revenue generation with its candidates, as that was a consistent theme from Maryland president Darryll Pines.
Like most power conference schools, Maryland faces revenue generation challenges in the new world of college athletics.
Smith will replace Damon Evans, who left Maryland for SMU in March. Maryland is in a time of flux, with Smith coming in as athletic director, Buzz Williams starting his tenure as basketball coach and Maryland football coming off a 4-8 season.
Colleen Sorem had served as Maryland’s interim athletic director and was a part of the school’s search process. Evans had been the athletic director there since 2018 and was part of the department since 2014.
