COLLEGE PARK — Similar to men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams’ introductory news conference last month, Maryland administrators at new athletic director Jim Smith’s first appearance did not mention his predecessor.

Smith instead spent his introduction distancing himself from Damon Evans, who left Maryland in March for the same job at SMU. Evans’ name was not said once Thursday while Smith described his vision for leading the Terps into this new era of college athletics. Maryland is moving on from those chaotic last two months. It started with Williams and is now complete with Smith. Together, they’ll lead an athletic department looking for forward thinking.

Williams was not in attendance Thursday, but Gary Williams, Scott Van Pelt, Colleen Sorem, Michael Locksley, Brenda Frese and several other Maryland coaches were there to watch their new athletic director from the front row. Change was a key word used throughout the afternoon — Smith, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and university president Darryll J. Pines said the word nearly a dozen times.

Maryland athletics is no stranger to it. That’s why Smith, who Maryland feels embodies that verb, was the pick.

“Jim really wanted this job,” Pines said. “He felt that Maryland batted above its average based on its revenue and its operating budget, and he thought that he could really improve that and then get us to bat even greater above our average.”Here are three takeaways from Smith’s remarks.

He made a lot of promises: That’s why introductory news conferences exist, after all, for new hires to throw out a slew of promises and make a strong first impression. Only time will tell if Smith will deliver. But in the meantime, he said Thursday that he has a plan to bring the Maryland athletic department from one of the least profitable in the Big Ten to one of the most and has goals to make Maryland a leader in the name, image and likeness and revenue sharing spaces.

“We have to figure out how we’re going to complement that so we can continue to recruit at the highest level,” Smith said when asked about how he hopes to make strides in NIL. “It’s a little early to say, ‘Hey, I got this vision.’ I’ve got to get in and spend some time with the coaches and administrators in the university to say, ‘Hey, how do we want to raise the funds that are necessary to compete at the absolute highest level?’ So I think in the short answer, there’s a good plan in place, and I’m looking to amplify that plan.”

Smith won’t officially take over the role until July 15, but he’s already met with boosters to get introduced to the athletic department’s finances, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Baltimore Sun.

Evans said in a January news release that Maryland athletics is set to take on $25 million in new expenses starting this fall because of the university pledging to commit the full allotment of $20.5 million to revenue sharing, which Smith repeated Thursday.

“When I was with the Atlanta Falcons, we were at the bottom of the NFL in revenue,” Smith said. “There’s no silver bullet from going toward the bottom of the Big Ten to the top of the Big Ten in revenue, but there’s a lot of opportunity here, and I am really excited to explore the opportunity.”

Michael Locksley will have resources behind him: Locksley, who’s spent the past six seasons leading the Terps’ football program and is under contract for four more, has yet to break into the Big Ten’s top tier. Still, Smith is optimistic about the team’s outlook.

When asked about his expectations for the program, Smith said part of the onus is on the athletic department to help Maryland football take a step forward. The university has ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in spending on football since it joined the conference a decade ago and has a win-loss record to match.

Smith said he’s already met with Locksley and pointed to the incoming freshman class, which ranks 25th in the nation according to 247 Sports. It’s headlined by quarterback Malik Washington, who has a chance to start this fall.

“It is our responsibility to make sure he’s got the funding that’s necessary to compete at the level with the other Big Ten programs,” Smith said. “I’m optimistic about the season that’s coming up. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really looking forward to seeing how we can bring more to the table to make sure Maryland football can be successful.”

Maryland believes Smith is what a modern athletic director looks like: The Terps’ athletic director search included several candidates with similar experiences to Smith. Maryland’s administration made it clear they wanted someone with business experience, whether they’ve spent time in college athletics before or not.

“It’s an interesting time in college athletics, right?” Smith said. “Four years ago, this job is different and I’m not the candidate.”

But now, Maryland believes Smith fits the mold of what a new-age athletic director should be and is unafraid of his inexperience with collegiate athletic departments.

Before coming to Maryland, Smith most recently worked with the Atlanta Braves and Falcons in front office roles and his alma mater Ohio State as the president of its alumni association. Those experiences made him an attractive candidate to reinvigorate Maryland’s financial situation that lags behind its competition.

“We wanted someone who had significant administrative and business experiences in sports,” Pines said. “We wanted someone with energy, drive and passion. We wanted someone in line with our mission and values. And we wanted someone with impactful ideas on how to navigate the quickly changing world of collegiate athletics.”

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