Martin Jarmond says UCLA athletics deserves to be elite

“Elite. UCLA is elite. It is our job as the coaching staff and administrators to maintain being elite and take it to the next level.”

Newly-hired athletic director Martin Jarmond spoke those words on the Jim Rome Show just this week, talking about his goals for the future of the UCLA Bruins.

There was a lot to unpack in his entire interview on Rome but perhaps the most important piece of the whole conversation is the sentence above.

Jarmond not only believes that UCLA is elite, and I’ve got to say, I believe him, but he also believes UCLA can stay elite. The chance to be elite, is already there. The desire to be elite, is absolutely there. Certainly the location and money to be elite, we all know is there.

UCLA sits in one of the country’s biggest cities and one of the world’s most famous for packing in athletics. If USC can be a brand name, then so again can UCLA, and that’s where it seems Jarmond is fixating his goals on.

Jarmond also stated that it’s his job to look at things as they stand now and evaluate them and learn, while putting a plan together to not only get to elite status, but to maintain elite status.

These are promising words and where he begins is another story. One that will unfold in due time but would make a ton of sense if he started with the football program. He has already spoken to Chip Kelly, stating that the two had a great conversation and that it is his job to help his football program and football coach to be successful.

Either way, it’s not that Jarmond said that UCLA is elite, he should say that. It’s the fact that he wants to maintain elite status for years to come. Because as he puts it, the fans deserve that.

For the full interview — you can find it via their social media channel and their channelfinder website — https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNet