Damon Evans began his tenure as SMU's Director of Athletics on March 31, 2025. Before coming to the Hilltop, Evans served as the top athletics administrator at two Power Four programs, Maryland and Georgia.
"Our goal was to find a leader who shared our vision for the future of SMU 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 Ten 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 SMU 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 won 49 Big Ten championships and tournament titles. The program earned seven national championships while he was in College Park. There, he oversaw a department with 20 varsity sports, 500 student-athletes, a full-time staff of over 200 and an annual budget exceeding $120 million.
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 โ where he was tasked with developing the company's fundraising arm โ 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.
The SMU Athletics Department has great momentum as Evansโ tenure begins. In 2023โ24, SMU 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 2023โ24, SMU 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. SMU also achieved its highest-ever ranking โ 18th nationally โin the Learfield Directors' Cup Division I Fall Standings. These successes come alongside record fundraising and attendance milestones during the Mustangs' inaugural season in the ACC.
SMU 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, SMU 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, SMU remains committed to athletic excellence and looks forward to continued success in the ACC.
