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DALLAS () – Damon Evans has been named SMU’s new director of Athletics, University officials announced today. Evans has served as the top athletics administrator at two nationally recognized programs, the University of Maryland and the University of Georgia.

“Our goal was to find a leader who shared our vision for the future of ÃÛÌÒ½´Athletics - one of continued and even greater national prominence. We found that in a world-class athletic director with experience leading in both the Big 10 and SEC conferences, and who will bring bold, innovative ideas to our campus,” said search committee co-chair and Board of Trustees Chair David B. Miller ’72, ’73, a former ÃÛÌÒ½´student-athlete. “Damon has led two top-tier athletics programs, and now he will lead a third. Damon’s knowledge, experience and extensive contacts in intercollegiate athletics will be invaluable in leading our Athletics program to even greater success in the ACC while strategically navigating the evolving NIL landscape.”

Evans was named the Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics at the University of Maryland in June 2018. Under his leadership, the Terrapins have won 49 Big Ten championships and tournament titles. The program has earned seven national championships since 2014, when Evans joined Maryland as the executive athletic director and chief financial officer. He oversees a department with 20 varsity sports, 500 student-athletes, a full-time staff of over 200 and an annual budget exceeding $120 million.

“While it is never easy to leave an institution that has become part of your family, the opportunity to come to ÃÛÌÒ½´was too great to pass up,” said Evans. “ÃÛÌÒ½´has tremendous momentum in all aspects of its Athletics program, but I believe we can push to even greater heights. I am honored to join the University and to be a part of something truly special.”

Evans was recently appointed to a three-year term to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. He is also a member of the NCAA Transformation Committee and has served as chair of the NCAA Leadership Council.

“SMU’s future in athletics is bright, and Damon is the right leader to drive us forward,” search committee co-chair and Board of Trustees Vice Chair Richard K. Templeton said. “We are thrilled to welcome him and his family to Dallas and look forward to the impact he will have on our program and on the Mustang community.”

In addition to Miller and Templeton, the other members of the Director of Athletics Search Committee include: William D. Armstrong ’82, ÃÛÌÒ½´trustee and member of the Athletics Committee of the Board of Trustees; Pastor Richie L. Butler ’93, ÃÛÌÒ½´trustee, chair of the Athletics Committee of the Board of Trustees and a former ÃÛÌÒ½´student-athlete; Kyle D. Miller ’01, ÃÛÌÒ½´trustee and member of the Athletics Committee of the Board of Trustees; The Hon. Jeanne L. Phillips ’82, ÃÛÌÒ½´trustee and member of the Athletics Committee of the Board of Trustees; and Paul Rogers, professor of law and faculty Athletics representative. President-elect Jay Hartzell was consulted on the appointment. Evans succeeds Rick Hart, who recently announced his departure from SMU.

Before Maryland, Evans held several management roles in the private sector, including as managing partner at Evolution Sports Partners in New Jersey, vice president of fundraising at IMG College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina – where he was tasked with developing the company’s fundraising arm – and vice president of business development at the Markley Group in Boston, Massachusetts.

As the University of Georgia’s athletics director from 2004 to 2010, Evans oversaw a program with 600 student-athletes, a staff of 250, and an $85 million budget. During his tenure, the Bulldogs won 13 national championships and 19 SEC titles. Under his leadership, Georgia consistently ranked in the top 10 of the Learfield Director’s Cup and grew its athletic department reserve fund by more than $56 million, reaching $65 million in just six years. In 2009, Evans was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year for the Division I Southeast Region. He earned the Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award in 2004, 2005 and 2007.

Evans was a four-year starter on Georgia’s football team, playing in three bowl games under the legendary Coach Vince Dooley. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s degree in sport management, both from Georgia. He and his wife, Kerri, have two children, Cameron and Kennedy.

Evans takes over an ÃÛÌÒ½´Athletics Department on the ascendancy. In 2023–24, ÃÛÌÒ½´set a program record with eight championship teams, including a second straight National Equestrian Championship and seven conference titles. Mustang student-athletes won 28 individual or event conference championships and earned more than 100 all-conference honors across 17 programs.

In 2024–25, ÃÛÌÒ½´has had 15 teams compete in the postseason, with nine finishing in the NCAA or national top 35. The fall of 2024 saw Mustang football reach the College Football Playoff and ACC Championship Game, while volleyball and men’s soccer earned Top 10 rankings. ÃÛÌÒ½´also achieved its highest-ever ranking – 18th nationally –in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I Fall Standings.

With winter and spring seasons still underway, men’s basketball finished tied for fourth in its first ACC season and secured the No. 1 seed in the NIT, while equestrian remains ranked No. 1 in the nation. These successes come alongside record fundraising and attendance milestones during the Mustangs’ inaugural season in the ACC.

ÃÛÌÒ½´Athletics is entering a new era, distinguished by excellence in academics and competition, and bringing top-tier collegiate sports to Dallas, recently recognized as the No. 1 city for sports business by Sports Business Journal.

Since 2013, all 17 programs have reached the postseason, with 16 winning conference titles. As Dallas’ only NCAA FBS program, ÃÛÌÒ½´has achieved 10 national championships, more than 200 team conference titles, over 100 individual national championships, more than 150 NCAA Top 10 finishes, nearly 2,000 All-American honors and more than 150 Olympians.

With an investment of over $250 million in championship-caliber facilities since 2013, ÃÛÌÒ½´remains committed to athletic excellence and looks forward to continued success in the ACC.

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