Jarmond leaving BC for UCLA
AD to take same job for Bruins
Martin Jarmond, who has served as Boston College’s athletic director for the last three years, is leaving The Heights to take the same job at UCLA, the Herald confirmed.
The hiring came Saturday after Jarmond reportedly became UCLA’s top target late this week and one of two finalists with Nevada-Las Vegas AD Desiree Reed-Francois. Yahoo! Sports reported that the 39-year-old Jarmond will receive a six-year deal to take over the Bruins’ athletic program. He’ll replace Dan Guerrero, who is retiring after 18 years with UCLA.
BC reportedly made a late push to keep Jarmond, who helped reinvigorate the Eagles’ athletic program. He arrived at BC in 2017 as the youngest athletic director of any Power Five school after serving as the deputy director of athletics at Ohio State.
One of Jarmond’s greatest contributions in his short time at BC may have been through fundraising, as he oversaw a plan that sought to bolster different areas of the department. It was supported by a $150 million capital campaign that was the first in BC history and largest of any ACC school.
Jarmond’s last key decision before leaving may have been his biggest with the hiring of football coach Jeff Hafley, who started in December after BC fired Steve Addazio following seven seasons that included six bowl appearances but just a 44-44 overall record. The hiring of Hafley, who was previously Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, was seen as a strong and much-needed move by Jarmond.
He made two other hires that proved to be successful. Joanna Bernabei-McNamee was made women’s basketball coach in 2018, and it paid almost immediate dividends for a program that was struggling in mediocrity. The Eagles went 20-12 last season as Bernabei-McNamee won ACC coach of the year.
In 2018, Jarmond also hired women’s volleyball coach Jason Kennedy, who led the Eagles to 20 wins last season after they had just seven in 2017.
The men’s basketball team didn’t see noticeable improvement under Jarmond. The Eagles went 19-16 and earned an NIT appearance in 2017-18, and Jarmond rewarded coach Jim Christian with a contract extension through 2021-22. But the Eagles have backpedaled with 14-17 and 13-19 records the last two seasons — the latter of which ended early due to the pandemic — putting Christian’s six-year mark at 75-119 with just one postseason appearance.
Jarmond was credited with bringing a much-needed energy and buzz to BC, even earning the school the occasional national spotlight. One of the highlights of his tenure came in 2018, when BC hosted ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the first time since 2009 before the Eagles’ game against Clemson.
The timing of Jarmond’s departure is less-than-ideal for BC during the coronavirus pandemic that has brought sports to a halt, specifically the uncertainty of how and when college sports will resume later this summer and fall. External candidates for the school’s AD job are unclear, but internally, senior associate athletic director Vaughn Williams recently returned to BC after serving six years as AD at Kennesaw State.