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25-Year Award
Presented to College Sports Communicators members who have completed 25 years in the athletics communications profession.
Vetted and voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
Jason Yellin — University of Maryland Associate Athletics Director / Strategic Communications Officer
Jason Yellin is at the University of Maryland for the second time of his career. He was hired as the Associate Athletics Director /Strategic Communications Officer in November 2019. He previously was at Maryland from 1998-2004.
With experience in strategic communications, branding and revenue generation, Yellin currently oversees the Terps’ strategic communications and content development department that promotes all 20 varsity sports programs. He plays a key role in Maryland's content development and Name, Image and Likeness strategies, aiding in partner deals with Opendorse, SIDEARM Sports, PhotoShelter and others.
Additionally, he is a member of the One Maryland Council leadership group and serves as vice chair.
Yellin came to Maryland in 2019 from the Big Ten Conference where he served as assistant commissioner for communications for four years. Prior to his time at the Big Ten, Yellin was in the SEC, serving at the University of Tennessee as Assistant AD and media relations director for four years where one of his major responsibilities was media relation contact for the Vol football program.
From 2004-11, he was at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as an associate athletic director. He went to UMass after his first six-year stint at Maryland. Before that, Yellin worked for ESPN.com (1996-98) during the early launch years of the platform.
Yellin began his sports communications career as a teenager. He graduated from Stony Brook University and worked in the Seawolves' athletics department for eight years throughout high school and college.
Gallery: (4-18-2024) Jason Yellin, 25-Year Award
Damon Evans, University of Maryland Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics – "Jason Yellin is one of the most dedicated and committed individuals I have ever had the pleasure to work with. His enthusiasm and passion for the University of Maryland shines through in his work. I have the utmost confidence and trust in him. He is a great teammate and I am glad to call him a friend!"
Bruce Feldman, The Athletic / Fox College Sports – "Jason is one of the few people I’ve ever 'managed' in my life. There was a six-month stretch where ESPN had me running the team clubhouse pages on
ESPN.com and I asked for Jason to be in my group. Thankfully, they agreed to that. I felt like he was exactly the kind of person ESPN should be hiring. He was a bona fide sports nut. He loved it all, especially the minor league, out of the spotlight leagues. I had him handle all of the MLB teams. That led to a problem I had to deal with a few months later. Jason was doing three times as much work as the other two people I had on the team in their sports.
Jason wasn’t long for Bristol, nor was I, but we always kept in touch and stayed close as we each moved around the country and became dads. We bonded over our shared love for sports. I smile whenever I see his Mets fandom surfacing on my instagram account and I will openly root for the Terps new side-arm pitcher to become the Dan Quisenberry of the Big Ten. I’ll also root for (Yellin’s son) Quinn to get drafted by the Yankees."
Mark Fratto, Linacre Media Principal – "From ESPN to Maryland to UMass to Tennessee to the Big Ten and back to Maryland again, Jason Yellin has been able to reach ‘rare air’ in the profession — he’s thrived in each of those markets, while still remaining true to the same relationship-driven, passionate and indefatigably enthusiastic sports fan he was as a New York area teenager and student at Stony Brook University. Jason has raised the bar at each of his stops and has encouraged and developed so many successful SIDs today. I’ve been proud to call Jason a colleague and great friend for more than 25 years!"
Mex Carey, Michigan State Associate Director of Communications – "Jason Yellin is one of the great professionals in our business, with a career that started when he was in high school on Long Island and has taken him to some of the top places in college athletics. What has always struck me most about him is his easy-going and friendly manner, even when times are tough. His impact in the business can be seen in the number of people who have thrived under his tutelage, including his daughter, who has forged her own career. When I came to Michigan State in 2017, Jason was at the Big Ten Conference and there our relationship grew even closer. He became a real sounding board for me and someone I could bounce ideas off and talk about best practices. I’ve had the privilege to know Jason for most of my career and while I have great respect for him as a professional, I have an even greater respect for him as a friend. He’s loyal and someone you can count on whenever you need it."
Yellin’s career advice for younger professionals about making connections and volunteering for events and experience…
Having spent more than 25 years in the college communications industry, some of my best advice is also true for life.
First off, build connections and keep them. Throughout my career, I am still regularly in touch with people I worked with from when I was a teenager in this industry and now decades later we are still in contact. From my early days working at Stony Brook or in minor league basketball in the USBL, some of the individuals I worked with are still people I reach out to for advice and guidance to this day. That means so much to me. I try to do the same thing nowadays, as I love working with young people, student interns and young professionals. I always make time for them and help them with their careers, from providing opportunities to crafting resumes and helping them build their networks while offering advice and insight.
Next, get involved! Work as many events as you can. Don’t be afraid to volunteer, getting that true life experience in sports is second to none. Trust me, it goes a long way to gain as much experience as you can at a young age. I started when I was 14 years old!
From working at games on campus to conference and NCAA Tournaments, the more you can experience the greater it can benefit you down the road. When you are there, work hard and ask questions. Remember, you are always interviewing – even if you don’t think you are – people are observing and paying attention, so when a future opportunity might come around, perhaps they have met you or seen your work. I have personally hired and recommended people over the years who impressed me in a volunteer capacity.
On the importance of having great interpersonal skills…
Smile and be a good friendly person. A smile makes everyone feel good. Always greet people with a smile and handshake – or hug, if appropriate – and it will go a long way. People may or may not remember what you did or said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
I love my job and love every day I get to work in sports and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
