Maryland extends athletic director’s contract to a multi-million-dollar deal
The University of Maryland announced on Monday that it has extended athletic director Damon Evans’ contract for an additional two years, lasting through the 2028-29 academic year. This extension raises Evans’ base salary to $1 million, up from $725,000, placing him on par with Wisconsin’s Chris McIntosh and roughly in the middle among Big Ten Conference athletic directors, according to a November article from The News-Gazette.
However, this amount is still less than some of the highest-paid athletic directors in the country, such as Texas’ Chris Del Conte ($2.85 million in 2024), Alabama’s Greg Byrne ($2.31 million), and Ohio State’s Ross Bjork ($2 million). Additionally, the new contract increases Evans’ annual supplemental income from $120,000 to $280,000.
He will still have the opportunity to earn up to $45,000 for meeting performance goals and maintaining minimum Academic Progress Rate standards, which assess the eligibility and retention of student-athletes. If Evans chooses to leave for another university or professional sports organization before June 30, 2027, he will be required to pay back $500,000 to the university. If he departs between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028, the repayment will be reduced to $250,000. No repayment will be necessary after June 30, 2028.
Should Evans remain in College Park until the conclusion of his new contract in June 2029, he would become the Terps’ fourth-longest-serving athletic director, following Harry “Curley” Byrd (1915-1935), Debbie Yow (1994-2010), and William W. Cobey (1956-1969).
Since taking over from Kevin Anderson in 2018, Evans, a former football player at Georgia and the SEC’s athletic director from 2004 to 2010, has overseen the Terps’ winning 49 Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament championships—ranking third among member schools during that time. Under his leadership, men’s soccer won an NCAA title in 2018, women’s lacrosse in 2019, and men’s lacrosse in 2022, while the football team achieved bowl game victories for three consecutive years, marking a first in the athletic department’s 130-year history.
“Under Damon Evans’ leadership, Maryland Athletics has achieved remarkable success,” said university president Darryll J. Pines in a statement. “During this transformative period in college sports, Damon has demonstrated exceptional leadership in steering our athletic department to championship success, both on and off the field.”
Evans joined Maryland in December 2014 as executive athletic director and chief financial officer, later taking on the role of acting athletic director in October 2017. He officially became the permanent athletic director in June 2018 and signed a contract extension in 2022, which the school did not publicly announce, extending his tenure through the 2026-27 academic year.
“It is an honor to represent this outstanding university and athletic department as we strive to lead boldly, create a student-focused environment, and foster pride across all of Terp Nation,” he stated. “We are committed to enhancing this program through significant capital investments and substantial resource allocations that enable us to compete with the top teams nationwide and in the Big Ten Conference.”
Leave a Reply