A chancellor’s letter, and it’s done
UCLA fired athletic director Martin Jarmond overnight. The university wants to reshape the economics of its sports department, which is under serious financial pressure.
Chancellor Julio Frenk announced the move in a letter to the university community. He also named Tim Harris as CEO and Bruins athletic director in the same note.
“UCLA’s athletics department is carrying a major financial deficit right now, and its current path is not sustainable,” Frenk wrote. “Now is the time to build a model that protects the breadth of our program, creates new opportunities for student-athletes and coaches, and pays for itself through the revenue it generates.”
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A former Lakers executive gets the job of cleaning up the mess
Tim Harris is a UCLA graduate and a former student-athlete at the school. He spent more than 35 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he served as president of business operations.
He will work in the interim role without pay. The brief is plain enough: find fresh revenue through licensing, partnerships and other streams.
The timing leaves no room to breathe. UCLA opens its first football season under Bob Chesney in five days, with a trip to California on Saturday. The school also joined the Big Ten in July 2024, two years after announcing it would leave the Pac-12.
Six years, three NCAA titles and plenty of chaos
Jarmond arrived from Boston College in 2020. Frenk praised “his extraordinary service” and pointed out the three NCAA titles UCLA student-athletes won last season.
The football program, though, has been on the move. After Chip Kelly left at the end of the 2023 season, Jarmond promoted former Bruins running back DeShaun Foster. The return was 5-10, and he was then sacked after UCLA opened his second season 0-3. Chesney was hired from James Madison in December after going 21-6 in two seasons, winning the 2025 Sun Belt title and reaching the College Football Playoff.
According to ESPN, UCLA still owes Jarmond about $6.5 million on his contract.
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