Two hours after UCLA head coach Chip Kelly left to be the new offensive coordinator at Ohio State, athletic director Martin Jarmond addressed reporters in a virtual Zoom press conference Friday afternoon to discuss how it played out, the timeline of the national search, and more.
Below is the full transcript:
MARTIN JARMOND’S OPENING STATEMENT:
“I just want to say that I met with the team earlier today and I am so proud of the young men in our locker room. The culture is very strong. I met with the leadership group, also with the student-athletes–very mature, very focused, very together, and so I want to say first and foremost, it makes me excited about this opportunity we have in front of us with our young men in this program and the maturity and the leadership they demonstrated earlier today during a different kind of time for them. Most have not been through something like this with a coaching change and they handled it admirably and they’re focused and together and so I just want to publicly thank them for their leadership and their maturity as we go through this. This is going to be a fast process, I’m going to work with some of our members of our executive team–Erin Adkins, Christina Munger-Rivera and Josh Rebholz will assist me as we lead this effort and we’re going to find the next coach for UCLA and it’s going to be a great leader, so with that, I’ll open it up for questions.”
HOW DID COACH KELLY INFORM YOU AND DID HE MEET WITH PLAYERS AND WERE YOU THERE THEN?
“Coach Kelly called me earlier today to let me know that he was moving on and we had a brief conversation. I think he met with the team, I was not there, I met with the team afterward–I don’t know the timing of when he talked to some members of the team but I understand and I believe he did, but coach Kelly and I had a good conversation, it was a tough conversation, but we’re moving forward.”
WITH THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, ANY REGRETS NOT MAKING A MOVE AT THE END OF THE SEASON. FEEL LIKE THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN STRUNG ALONG LAST FEW WEEKS WITH RUMORS OF CHIP LOOKING AT OTHER JOBS?
“The program is strong. The culture is strong. I don’t look back, I look forward and I’m excited about this opportunity to find our next leader. Just talking to the young men today, talking to the staff, this is an exciting time, it’s an exciting opportunity, so my focus is on the future and not the past.”
HEARD FROM ALUMNI, DONORS?
“I don't know I've been pretty focused so I don't know what the response is from alumni but I do know what the response is from this team and I know we have a great opportunity in front of us and I’m excited about that. I’m more excited talking to the team because I got their feedback on the attributes that they are looking for from the next head coach and I shared what I’m looking for. We’re very aligned. We know what we need for our program and where it is and where we want to go. When you get into these situations you can’t listen to the outside noise. You’re focused on the job and the task at hand and we are prepared. We were not caught off guard … to your question earlier Joe… this is something as an athletic director, as an executive team and as an athletic program you have to be ready in case you’re in the middle of a search and this is not something that caught us off guard. We were ready and we were prepared.”
FOR IT TO HAPPEN LATE IN THE COACHING CYCLE AND FEW CANDIDATES?
“Timing is a challenge. I’ll be honest timing is a challenge but any time you go through a change or a search there’s never a good time. That’s life. So we aren’t going to focus on that, we’re going to focus on doing what we need to do to get the next leader of this program. It’s not an ideal time. Obviously, We are the only school that’s in a search for a head coach right now but we are going to do well and I have no doubt we are going to get someone great to lead our young men.”
KELLY’S BUYOUT?
“There is a buyout and yes it will be enforced.”
QUALITIES YOU’RE LOOKING FOR IN THE NEXT COACH? NARRATIVE ABOUT NIL?
“So on the last one, you’d have to talk to coach Kelly. I’m going to keep our conversation private out of respect for him and his desire and his wishes. So, I’m going to leave that one there. The qualities I’m looking for: First, we want a person of integrity. We do things the right way here at UCLA. We don’t cut corners. We do it right. And that’s first and foremost. Second, I want someone that’s passionate. That has energy. This is a tough job being a football head coach, nowadays in this world you need a CEO that embraces all aspects of a successful program. That’s NIL. That’s recruiting. That’s donor relations. That’s development of young people. It’s all of that. So we’re looking for a CEO that has that energy and a passion for that. I want a teacher, a developer. Someone that develops young men. That’s really important to us. We’re in an academic environment. It’s all about growth. Also want someone that’s a competitor. I want someone hungry that’s going to compete everyday. That’s what we’re about and that’s something that’s a non-negotiable. And finally, I want to find someone who wants to be a Bruin. I want someone that’s going to respect and appreciate those four letters, the No. 1 public academic institution in the country. We’re going to the Big Ten in 174 days. It’s an exciting time for this program, and I want someone to embrace and want to be here, and be a Bruin. And I’m excited about that, and we’re going to find that. But those are the qualities, Ben.”
NEXT HIRE NEED HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE? CONSIDER A COORDINATOR?
“We’re going to consider anyone that meets those qualities. We’re going to consider anyone that meets those qualities.”
MENTIONED QUALITIES YOU WANT, ANYTHING THE PLAYERS ARE LOOKING FOR?
“One of the things that the young men mentioned was they wanted someone that can relate to them. That relates to them not only as a football player, but a young man off the field. They want someone that they can talk to and connect with. That’s important to them. But, a lot of the other things, we’re very much aligned. I wouldn’t say that anything that I just shared with you is different than what they said. But they definitely want someone that can connect with them, holistically, which is important. And culture. They talked about how strong their culture was and that they want someone that can keep a strong culture. And that’s something that – this is one of the best cultures I have seen anywhere that I’ve been. And I really mean that. I am so appreciative of those young men, in that locker room, in that building, and what they do and what they represent. They talked about that. Their culture is strong.”
LESSONS TAKEN FROM EXPERIENCE WITH COACH KELLY TO APPLY GOING FORWARD?
“Yeah, I think you always learn from experience, and every experience is different. What you try to do is you try to learn from those experiences, you try to apply it moving forward. But you have to have a pro’s mindset and that’s no different than any coaching situation — or any situation in life. You always gotta learn and adapt and adjust moving forward.”
IS FIRST PRIORITY TO FIND SOMEONE PERMANENTLY, NOT INTERIM THIS YEAR? ALSO, WITH STATE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL, WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT HAVING JANUARY AND FEBRUARY OPENINGS?
“We’re looking for a leader permanently for our program. Obviously, we’ll adjust if we need to, but I want to find a head coach that’s gonna be here. So that’s the ideal goal. Timeline, hopefully 96 hours, that’s what I told the team, to give us 96 hours — could be sooner, could be later. But we’re going to move fast. That’s the priority. That could change, obviously, but that’s gonna be the goal.
“And as far as the state of college athletics, college football, it’s great. You know, there’s a lot of change, right? At the end of the day, you have to be nimble and you have to adapt. And college football, college athletics is going through a lot of change, I’ve said that before. But when you have change, there’s opportunity. When you have chaos, there’s an opportunity to move forward and lead, and that’s what we’re gonna do and that’s what I’m excited about, this opportunity. You’ve gotta adjust, you’ve gotta adapt. People make decisions in the best interest of what they’re trying to do. But the one thing I do know is this is a great place. UCLA is a great opportunity. Those young men are unbelievable and this is, this is a great time for us and our program as we get ready to enter the Big Ten.”
