LOS ANGELES — Martin Jarmond was fired from his position of athletic director at UCLA on Monday, a source close to the school confirmed to the Southern California News Group.
Jarmond held the post for six years and oversaw six national championships in four different Olympics sports as well as the Bruins women’s basketball team winning the title in 2026. However, we was unable to maintain the standard UCLA expects in the premier Division I sports — men’s basketball and football.
Specifically in football, head coach Chip Kelly left the program after his third year working with Jarmond. The program hired former UCLA running back DeShaun Foster to take over, but his tenure lasted just 15 games and he was fired after an 0-3 start to his second season.
After UCLA sputtered to a 3-9 record in 2025, Jarmond and a committee of alums hired Bob Chesney as head coach, a decision that garnered praise throughout the nation.
On the basketball side, UCLA reached the Final Four in Jarmond’s first year in Westwood. The Bruins haven’t advanced past the Sweet Sixteen since. Following a two-year stretch between 2023-2025, in which the Bruins went 39-28 and won one March Madness game, Jarmond extended head coach Mick Cronin with an average annual salary of $4.5 million and a contract buyout that as of March 31, 2026 is $22.5 million, per a records request the SCNG obtained.
UCLA’s decision to oust its AD comes on the precipice of a new era in football with the Bruins opening their season against Cal on Saturday. Longtime Lakers executive Tim Harris, who played soccer for UCLA, will serve as CEO and Director of UCLA Athletics on “a pro-bono basis.”
Chancellor Julio Frank shared a statement regarding the decision on Monday:
“As we shape what comes next, Martin Jarmond will leave his role as director of athletics today. I am grateful to Martin for his extraordinary service to UCLA and for his leadership over the past six years. During his tenure, UCLA’s student-athletes continued to achieve at the highest levels, including three NCAA championship titles last year.
To move us forward, I have asked Tim Harris to serve as CEO and Director of UCLA Athletics. Tim is a proud alumnus and former student-athlete — simply put, he loves UCLA and cares deeply about our future. He is also a veteran sports executive who spent more than 35 years with the L.A. Lakers, including serving as its president of business operations. Tim knows what it takes to grow a world-class sports organization and global brand, and he holds longstanding relationships throughout Los Angeles and globally. He brings decades of experience in creating partnerships and new sources of revenue, along with a personal focus on centering the student-athlete experience. I am especially grateful for Tim’s willingness to serve UCLA on a pro bono basis. …
“Tim will develop a new strategy to grow revenue through partnerships, licensing and other ventures, while ensuring that our student-athletes and coaches have the required support to compete at the highest level.”