By Anika Stikeleather
James E. Smith promised competitive teams in all sports during a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 25, addressing University of Maryland alumni and centering the plans and challenges for his tenure as the Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics.
Hired in May, Smith’s experience as a professional sports executive will be used to tackle modern challenges as the university prepares to be successful in the revenue-sharing era of college athletics. On June 6, 2025, the House v. NCAA settlement permitted schools to pay their Division I players directly, in addition to scholarships and any name, image and likeness payments an athlete might be receiving, according to ESPN.
“College is almost a professional sport now,” Steve Suter, former Terps football star and current radio analyst for Maryland Sports Radio Network, who moderated the webinar, said.
According to the College Sports Commission, schools can distribute up to $20.5 million among varsity sports for the 2025-26 academic year. As the university prepares to make these payments moving forward, Smith is looking for ways to compete in the Big Ten, involving expanding current NIL success and not getting caught up in the revenue sharing frenzy.
“We’re going to be an ‘and’ organization,” Smith said, a primary goal the athletic director has shared with coaches and department staff as he intends to be competitive in Olympic sports and revenue-generating sports moving forward.
“There is a way to do that and be fiscally responsible. And we’re going to figure that out,” Smith added.
Athletic programs across the country have been struggling to make promises earnestly as the rules around NIL and revenue sharing continue to develop in real time. The House settlement was a start to providing these guidelines, but Smith worries these rules are still subject to change.
“Everybody’s trying to figure it out and not put themselves in jeopardy,” Smith said. “We really need some legislation out of Congress.”
Smith plans to expand existing efforts to connect student athletes with potential NIL deal partners. Currently, the university uses a third party to connect with interested corporate parties. According to Smith, it has seen success, but it needs to grow.
While much of the conversation around college athletics is dominated by revenue sharing and NIL, the Maryland athletic department will not excessively cater to one-and-done athletes.
“The reality is a fraction of the overall student athletes are receiving those payments,” Smith said.
According to Smith, his department’s primary responsibility is to foster an environment for student-athletes to compete and earn a degree.
In his closing remarks, Smith asked for belief in the university, in coaches and stated “that we can be successful at the upper end of the Big Ten.”
Students seem to share Smith’s hope for the future but recognize it will not come without challenges. “I think we have the chance to actually compete,” sophomore nutrition and food science major Kevin Aguilar said.
Aguilar asked for more outreach from the athletics department because “Not many people support [athletics] in a way as they do one sport compared to the rest.”
Featured Image: SECU Stadium’s west gate on the morning of September 28. Photo by Anika Stikeleather