SMU is quietly making a big move. Word has leaked that Clark Williams, the Big 12’s powerhouse vice president of communications and strategy, will soon take on a new role at SMU as the senior associate athletic director for branding and strategic communications. Williams has been one of the architects of Brett Yormark’s branding and media expansion efforts across the Big 12, and hiring him marks a serious investment in SMU’s long game.
Williams stepped into his Big 12 role amid the league’s 2024 organizational reshuffle, where he took over oversight of all sports, business, and strategic communications for the conference. His tenure in that slot has given him exposure to media rights, expansion messaging, brand positioning, and narrative construction across multiple programs, exactly the kind of résumé you want bringing into an athletic department looking to push its identity.
At SMU, Williams will presumably be charged with sharpening the Mustangs’ brand, elevating their profile in the ACC and beyond, and linking athletic messaging to broader institutional goals. That’s not just marketing fluff; in today’s college athletics, branding, media presence, and perception are competitive edges. Especially for programs outside the blueblood spotlight, how you tell your story matters.
This hire is also a statement. SMU isn’t just looking to win games; they want to control how they’re seen while doing it. Bringing in someone who’s already danced with conference-level strategy signals ambition. If this is cemented, Williams will be responsible for converting SMU’s upward momentum on the field into upward momentum off it.
Internals will matter, of course: how Williams fits with existing AD leadership, buy-in from coaches, resource alignment, and getting staff on board with the new vision. But if he’s given the tools and mandate, he can reshape how SMU is talked about in the landscape.
Bottom line: this is a buy. While many athletic departments settle for incremental tweaks, SMU is going for reinvention. If Williams carries the same energy and insight from the Big 12 across town, it could be a turning point.
