UCLA makes it official: Martin Jarmond is next athletic director

UCLA officially announced Martin Jarmond as its next athletic director Tuesday as the former Boston College athletic director will take over in Westwood on or before July 1, when Dan Guerrero begins his retirement.

With a six-year contract worth $1.4 million per year on average plus incentives, Jarmond will be the highest-paid athletic director at a public Pac-12 Conference school. Jarmond will receive $1,030,000 with a one-time signing bonus of $339,900 during the first year of his contract. Guerrero’s base salary was $984,667 this year, with another $105,000 possible in performance bonuses.

The 39-year-old Jarmond, who two years ago became the youngest athletic director at a Power Five conference school when he took over at Boston College, will be the first African American athletic director at UCLA, a school known for pioneers like Jackie Robinson, Kenny Washington and Arthur Ashe.

“UCLA is an aspirational program in intercollegiate athletics,” Jarmond said in a statement. “Steeped in history and success, the tradition of legends and barrier-breakers who call themselves Bruins is unmatched. … I will work tirelessly to ensure our student-athletes, alumni and fans remain proud of UCLA Athletics.”

The search to replace Guerrero, who guided UCLA’s athletic department for 18 years through 32 NCAA championships and no major football bowl games, ramped up as the campus closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Final interviews were conducted virtually and Jarmond won the job over Nevada Las Vegas’ Desiree Reed-Francois, a former UCLA rower who was the other finalist before withdrawing from consideration last Friday. Jarmond will be the first UCLA athletic director without previous ties to the school since it opened in 1919.

“I am confident Martin will help UCLA carry on that storied tradition, with his exceptional leadership, high integrity and excitement for our future,” chancellor Gene Block said in a statement. “Even in challenging times like these, there is so much to look forward to and so much potential still to be unlocked for our program and within our student-athletes.”

Jarmond, a former two-time captain of the North Carolina Wilmington men’s basketball team, was assistant athletic director for development and regional giving at Michigan State from 2003-09 before working as the deputy director of athletics at Ohio State from 2009-17.

At Boston College, where he was also the school’s first black athletic director, Jarmond helped launch a $150-million fundraising campaign that has reached $121 million.

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