Dear Terps,

Last night, we hosted more than 500 of the best student-athletes in the nation at a welcome back BBQ to celebrate the start of another academic and athletic year. But Maryland Athletics has been in full swing for weeks now. It's been a great start to the year for our field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball teams. Cross country gets going later this week.

Maryland Football will kick off its 2022 season at home against Buffalo this Saturday at Noon. Returning one of the best quarterbacks in the country and a fleet of amazing offensive weapons, there is certainly a buzz about this team. I hope you will all be there on Saturday to cheer on Coach Locksley and the Terps.

I also need to give a shout-out to Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Willard. Since his hiring in March, Coach Willard has been on a tear on the recruiting trail, making sure everyone knows Maryland Runs the DMV! And of course, Coach Brenda Frese will once again lead Women's Basketball, with a schedule that features perennial national powers including home games against defending national champion South Carolina and Connecticut, as well as road trips to Baylor and Notre Dame. Tickets for Men's and Women's Basketball are on sale now.

Throughout this upcoming year, we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and our proud tradition of Fearless Women. To learn more about this initiative, including ways to support our women student-athletes, please visit umterps.com/FearlessWomen.

Maryland continues to be a leader in the "name, image and likeness" space, providing NIL opportunities for all of our student-athletes. We just announced the launch of the Maryland Marketplace, one of the first licensed school marketplaces in college sports. The marketplace gives Maryland fans, brands and sponsors the ability to browse, book, pitch and pay any Terp student-athletes for NIL activities in one compliant platform, built specifically for the athletes' needs. Check it out here.

Perhaps the biggest news in recent weeks was the announcement of a major new Big Ten conference media rights agreement. The new agreement with Fox, CBS and NBC reflects the addition of UCLA and USC to the B1G. This deal is another reason why Maryland is fortunate to be in the top athletic conference in the country. 

I think you can all feel the excitement of a new academic and athletic year. And something else becomes obvious too. This place is just different. Our fans feel it, our student-athletes feel it, and our coaches most certainly feel it. All 20 sports here at Maryland Athletics are fiercely proud to represent our state and the entire DMV. And even more than that, we are proud to represent YOU!

As your team, we hope that you will show out and REPRESENT at Terps home games this season. From football and field hockey to volleyball and soccer, we pride ourselves on providing a premier fan experience for all. Come see what makes College Park so special.

Go Terps!
  Damon Evans
Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics
University of Maryland