Matt Smith

Vice President
Partnerships
Utah Utes Partnerships

Managing the overall rights opportunities and obligations for Utah Athletics, Matt is focused on maintaining strong relationships within the Athletic department to ensure the JMI Sports strategy and sales not only generate new and meaningful revenue, but also service Utah Athletics’ strategic goals and objectives. He is responsible for managing the university’s respective broadcasting talent, as well as directing the property staff responsible for delivering on individual and team revenue goals through partnerships focused on an integrated marketing plan.

Matt joined JMI Sports after six years of successfully growing year-over-year sponsorship revenue for Utah Athletics under the previous rightsholder. He prides himself on developing strong and lasting relationships with both current and potential corporate partners to ensure the property attains the highest level of success. Each year under his leadership, the property exceeded budget and revenue goals. As a result, they were also  nominated as “Property of the Year” three years in a row. Additionally, Matt has been integral in educating partners on NIL opportunities as well as implementing creative NIL campaigns for key partners, generating meaningful revenue for student-athletes.

Prior to his tenure on the Utah Athletics property, Matt held key leadership positions with the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Sacramento Kings and UNLV Athletics.

A native of Utah, Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Utah State University.  Matt is a proud father to Cole, Brooklyn and Lola, and loves spending time skiing with his kids in the winter and figuring out the game of golf in the summertime.