The University of Maryland extended athletic director Damon Evans’ contract for another two years through the 2028-29 academic year, the school said Monday.
The extension increases Evans’ base salary to $1 million from $725,000, which is equal to Wisconsin’s Chris McIntosh’s salary and about the middle of the pack for Big Ten Conference athletic directors, according to a November article from The News-Gazette. But that would still trail some of college’s highest-paid athletic directors, including Texas’ Chris Del Conte ($2.85 million in 2024), Alabama’s Greg Byrne ($2.31 million) and Ohio State’s Ross Bjork ($2 million).
The new contract also raises Evans’ annual supplemental income to $280,000 from $120,000. Potential compensation covering performance goals and minimum Academic Progress Rate academic standards, a metric that measures the eligibility and retention of student-athletes, remains at $45,000.
If Evans leaves to accept a position at another university or professional sports organization between now and June 30, 2027, he will pay back $500,000 to the institution. If the departure occurs between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028, he will owe $250,000. After June 30, 2028, there is no fee.
If Evans stays in College Park until the end of his new contract in June 2029, he would become the Terps’ fourth-longest tenured athletic director behind Harry “Curley” Byrd (1915 to 1935), Debbie Yow (1994 to 2010) and William W. Cobey (1956 to 1969).
Since Evans, who played football at Georgia and was the Southeastern Conference school’s athletic director from 2004 to 2010, succeeded Kevin Anderson in College Park in 2018, the Terps have captured 49 Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament championships — the third-most among member schools during that stretch. Men’s soccer in 2018, women’s lacrosse in 2019 and men’s lacrosse in 2022 claimed NCAA titles during Evans’ tenure, and football has won bowl games in three consecutive years for the first time in the athletic department’s 130-year history.
“Maryland Athletics has experienced tremendous success under the leadership of Damon Evans,” university president Darryll J. Pines said in a written statement. “In a transformative time in the collegiate landscape, Damon has proved to be an extremely effective leader in guiding our athletic department to championship heights, both on and off the playing fields.”
Evans joined Maryland in December 2014 as executive athletic director and chief financial officer. He became the acting athletic director in October 2017 before permanently succeeding Anderson in June 2018. Evans signed a contract extension in 2022, which was not announced by the school, through the 2026-27 academic year.
“It is my privilege to represent this world-class university and athletic department as we lead boldly, provide a student-centered environment, and inspire pride throughout all of Terp Nation,” he said in the same statement. “We continue to elevate this program with significant capital projects and substantial resource allocations that allow us to compete with the best in the nation and the Big Ten Conference.”
This past spring, Maryland’s athletes established a school record for the highest departmental cumulative GPA following a semester with a 3.274. That marked the ninth consecutive semester of a GPA of 3.000 or better, and 17 programs had at least a 3.000 GPA after the spring 2024 semester.
Under Evans, the department has enjoyed the unveiling of several facilities and capital projects, including the opening of Jones-Hill House for football and Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex for field hockey and women’s lacrosse. The university also broke ground on the new Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center, installed a center-hung videoboard and sound system inside Xfinity Center, and built a new videoboard and upgraded audio system at SECU Stadium.
In October 2021, Evans was invited to join the NCAA Transformation Committee, which makes recommendations to the NCAA Board of Directors on addressing challenges and meeting the needs of current and future student-athletes among Division I schools. He also was a member of the Team IMPACT National Board of Directors from 2021 to 2024.