An emphatic statement about how deep Maryland athletics’ NIL and revenue-sharing pockets are

Maryland athletic director Jim Smith joined Vinny and Haynie on 105.7 The Fan Thursday morning to discuss a range of topics surrounding the Terps athletic department, from his support for head football coach Mike Locksley, to the growing challenge of retaining top talent in the NIL era, and how much control athletic directors truly have over their programs amid increasing booster influence.

With Maryland football needing to retain standout underclassmen like quarterback Malik Washington and edge rushers Sidney Stewart and Zahir Mathis Smith made clear that his top priority is ensuring Maryland can compete financially and structurally with the sport’s big dogs.

“Yeah I mean that is the job,” Smith said. “I think that’s my job, right? I think to find the resources to make sure we can retain all our top talent. As long as they want to be here, we’re going to get a deal done. This is about keeping our best talent in the state of Maryland that grows up here and then the best talent on our roster. And we’re committed to getting those resources to make sure that happens.”

Then he made a bold statement.

“We’re not going to get outbid by anybody. I’m not going to let that happen,” he said. “So I feel really confident that we’re going to be able to retain everybody we want to retain.”

If that proves true, Maryland’s roster could be an impressive one next season, with so many young players impressing.

Smith also addressed the state of Maryland football under Mike Locksley, who has faced mounting pressure after a string of frustrating losses in Big Ten play. Despite the struggles, Smith voiced continued support for the seventh-year head coach, whom he endorsed in an interview with the Baltimore Sun on Wednesday.

“Yeah, I think, you know, I look back at the season and say so far we’ve played three-and-a-half really good quarters. Four quarters in Wisconsin, three-and-a-half really good quarters in our next three Big Ten games. And you know, it’s got to be a little better than that. I think one of the things that we all recognize is we got a really young team. And now it’s time to stop saying they’re a young team and we have to get them to play at that next level,” he said.

“Everybody’s got to understand in the Big Ten, when you’re getting to the fourth quarter, there’s a fourth gear that everybody’s got to hit. And I think the coaches certainly see that. I think they understand that and now it’s their job to get them – to translate that to the players to play at another level in that final eight minutes of the game.”

Smith’s comments come amid a new era of college football where roster stability depends heavily on NIL collectives and booster involvement. That challenge has hit College Park hard; Maryland saw a staggering 31 players transfer out of the program this past offseason, one of the highest totals in the Big Ten, but Locksley got the better of his portal trades.

The exodus underscored how quickly roster turnover can reshape a team and highlighted the urgent need for the university and its NIL infrastructure to keep pace with the sport’s financial realities. While some schools have struggled to adapt, Smith’s tone suggested Maryland is intent on building the structure and partnerships needed to keep its stars home.

Asked about how much authority he truly holds in a landscape increasingly shaped by donors and collectives, Smith pushed back on the notion that athletic directors have lost power.

“I feel like I’m in total control,” he said. “This decision on how this department is going to run is mine. And look, everybody is going to take input. No one sits in their office thinking ‘hey, we’re not going to listen to what someone has to say.’ But the ultimate decision sits with me.”

More from Smith below.

On NBA Gambling Arrests: “I think we’re all shocked, at least I’m shocked. You’re right, gambling is pretty pervasive but it is one of those things in this role that keeps you up at night. I mean, it’s a scary, scary situation. And there’s not a lot of – we do the education but there’s just not a lot of parameters to prevent it. And now that the NCAA has determined that student athletes can place wagers on professional sports – I’m not a fan of that, I understand why they did it – but it just makes it that much harder.”

On the Midnight Mile: “It’s really a tribute to Lefty and continuing that legacy with – you know there were a lot of students out there at midnight to run that Midnight Mile. And hey, they’re a lot faster than I thought they were. I thought I was going to be able to keep up with them but that was not the case. But it was a great night. A very festive beginning to men’s basketball after we had the men’s and women’s basketball banquet earlier in the evening. Just out at Ludwig Field, real positive energy and just a fun evening to be out and really kick off basketball season.”

On Homecoming vs Indiana: “So the interest, as it should be for any Homecoming game, it’s high.”