UCLA extends Athletics Director Martin Jarmond’s contract through 2029

Recognizing Martin Jarmond's wide-ranging impact on the growth and success of UCLA Athletics programs and on student-athletes both on and off the fields, courts and arenas, UCLA has extended his contract as the university's athletics director through 2029.

Jarmond, the Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics, became UCLA's ninth athletics director in July 2020 on a six-year contract following his tenure as athletics director at Boston College and as deputy director of athletics at Ohio State University. He replaced UCLA's Dan Guerrero, who retired after 18 years in the role. The three-year extension was finalized this past spring.

"In just four years, Martin has redefined UCLA Athletics - creating new opportunities for Bruins to compete on the biggest stages, making major investments in student-athlete wellness and success, taking important steps to shore up the financial health of our athletics enterprise and putting an inclusive culture at the center of the department," said UCLA Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt. "We are excited that he will continue to shepherd our legendary athletics program into a new era."

Since Jarmond's appointment, UCLA has captured five NCAA championships, including men's and women's water polo titles in 2020 and 2024, respectively; back-to-back men's volleyball titles in 2023 and 2024; and a women's soccer crown in 2022, bringing UCLA's all-time NCAA championship total to 123, the most in the Big Ten Conference and the second-most of any program in the nation.

Under his leadership, UCLA has won 18 conference titles, and UCLA Athletics broadened its national footprint with a historic move to the Big Ten Conference, a seismic shift that positioned the Bruins on the national stage in the country's oldest NCAA Division I conference. UCLA teams began competing in the conference in August, and just this week, the women's soccer team became the university's first to win a Big Ten Conference title. Since 2020, he has hired 10 new head coaches, nine of whom are first-time head coaches, including UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame athletes DeShaun Foster (football), Joanna Hayes (track and field) and Jenny Johnson-Jordan (beach volleyball).

Following an extensive planning process led by Jarmond and his executive team, UCLA Athletics announced the "Fours Up" strategic plan - a roadmap for the next five academic years - in October 2023. He is a staunch supporter of UCLA Athletics' mission, established during that process, to develop champions through academic excellence, competitive greatness and social responsibility. For the first time in school history, spring 2024 saw all Bruins athletics teams achieve a 3.0 grade-point average or higher, with overall student-athlete GPAs after spring 2024 reaching 3.355.

And amid a rapidly shifting college sports landscape, Jarmond's efforts have led to new partnerships and growth opportunities for the university and its student-athletes. Within the first few months of his tenure, Jarmond negotiated a deal with Nike that made the Jordan Brand and Nike the Bruins' official athletic footwear, apparel and equipment provider, beginning in July 2021. And this September, UCLA Athletics established an 11-year multimedia rights partnership with Southern California-based JMI Sports, a company that secures sponsorships, develops marketing strategies and creates fan engagement opportunities on campus and in local markets.

Jarmond has also prioritized a strengthened partnership with Champion of Westwood, the official name, image and likeness (NIL) collective of UCLA Athletics, which recently streamlined its structure to focus on three NIL funds - the Men of Westwood fund to support men's basketball, the Champions Fund to support women's basketball and Olympic sports, and Bruins for Life, a new arm established to focus solely on football.

"It has been an honor to steward UCLA Athletics through four of the most transformative years in collegiate athletics, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to execute on the plan we've laid out. An athletics program cannot be successful without the backing of campus leadership; I appreciate Chancellor Block, Interim Chancellor Hunt and Chancellor-designate Frenk for the support they have shown for me and for our program," said Jarmond. "We've accomplished a lot in four years, but there's much more to be done. I get to work with extremely talented individuals, and they are even better people. Together with our staff, coaches, supporters and alumni, I look forward to continuing to serve our student-athletes and helping them achieve excellence while representing the four letters with pride."

A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Jarmond, 44, earned his bachelor's degree in communication studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he was a two-year captain of the men's basketball team and led the team to the program's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2000. He earned Colonial Athletic Association All-Academic honors in 2001. He holds a master's degree in business administration and a master's in sports administration from Ohio University.