UCLA Ousts Jarmond, Names Ex-Lakers Executive Harris to Lead Athletics
UCLA dismissed athletic director Martin Jarmond on Monday, ending his six-year tenure, and installed Tim Harris, the longtime president of business operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, as his successor. Chancellor Julio Frenk announced the change in a letter to the university community, calling it a "new path forward for UCLA Athletics."
Harris, 64, will serve as CEO and athletic director on a pro bono basis, according to Frenk's letter. A 1989 UCLA graduate who played goalkeeper for the men's soccer team, Harris spent more than 35 years with the Lakers before leaving the franchise in February, four months after the Buss family sold the team to Dodgers owner Mark Walter. He was among the executives in Jeanie Buss' inner circle to receive a significant financial bonus tied to that sale; the team has since changed ownership again. bkfc bitcoin betting
Jarmond, 46, took over as athletic director in 2020, succeeding Dan Guerrero, and signed a five-year contract extension in May 2024. His departure comes despite UCLA winning three NCAA championships last season, including the women's basketball program's first national title. But the athletic department ran deficits for seven consecutive years under his leadership, totaling $241 million. UCLA's move to the Big Ten two years ago brought in substantial media-rights revenue but also drove up travel costs; the shortfall narrowed to $21.6 million in the 2025 fiscal year, with the university repeatedly stepping in to cover the gap.
Frenk cited that financial strain as central to the decision. "UCLA Athletics currently carries a significant financial debt, and its current path is not sustainable," he wrote, adding that the department needs a model that "protects the breadth of our program, creates new opportunities for student-athletes and coaches, and supports itself through the revenue it generates." He also pointed to the rapid changes reshaping college sports through name, image and likeness compensation, writing that "UCLA must have an athletics model that leads - not just keeps pace." Jarmond will not see the debut of his final major hire, football coach Bob Chesney, who arrived from James Madison in early December; UCLA opens its season at California on Saturday.
