Martin Jarmond is out of Westwood.
Chancellor Julio Frenk said in a campuswide email and written statement that Jarmond, who has served as UCLA’s athletic director since 2020, was dismissed from his position Monday. Jarmond will be replaced by former Los Angeles Lakers executive Tim Harris, who will serve as both director and CEO of UCLA Athletics on a pro bono basis, Frenk added. Jarmond has $6.5 million remaining on his contract.
Jarmond was initially hired in May 2020 after serving in the same role at Boston College, overseeing all of UCLA’s varsity sports and hundreds of student-athletes and staff members. Taking over as the school’s ninth athletic director, Jarmond played pivotal roles in overseeing UCLA Athletics’ entry into the NIL era in 2021 and its transition to the Big Ten conference in 2024.
During his tenure, the Bruins amassed nine different NCAA championships across six sports – most recently claiming titles in men’s water polo, women’s basketball and beach volleyball last season – as well as 38 conference championships between the Pac-12, Big Ten and MPSF.
While Jarmond’s leadership saw over $41 million being received in private philanthropy across thousands of donors through the 2025-26 fiscal year, Frenk noted in his statement that UCLA Athletics is facing a “significant financial deficit” as the program navigates the new NIL-ridden landscape.
UCLA Athletics has been in debt for seven consecutive fiscal years – spanning Jarmond’s entire tenure – amassing a total of $241.1 million that the university has had to cover.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the program ran a $21.6 million deficit – down from $51.8 million in the previous cycle. Most of that reduction came from media rights revenue upon joining the Big Ten, which provided more than three times what UCLA procured in the Pac-12. The university itself also provided $30 million in direct institutional support to pay for the remaining deficit and balance it out to zero.
One of the biggest criticisms Jarmond received from donors was his lack of urgency in embracing NIL as a tool in college sports.
“We have all watched as the landscape of college athletics has transformed in recent years, driven by the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), new models for student-athlete compensation, and a rapidly changing sports marketplace,” Frenk said. “UCLA must have an athletics model that leads – not just keeps pace.”
Harris will return to his alma mater, where he was a goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team, after spending 35 years with the Lakers. Frenk said Harris will be tasked with developing “a new strategy to grow revenue through partnerships, licensing and other ventures.”
A search for a permanent replacement is expected to commence, according to the California Post.
