Kentucky targeting Michigan State AD J Batt, sources say

Kentucky’s search for a new athletic director is poised to continue the administrative churn at Michigan State.

Per ESPN sources, Kentucky has targeted Michigan State athletic director J Batt to be the school’s new athletic director. The sides have not completed a deal, but Kentucky is in the throes of a strong push to bring Batt back to the SEC.

Batt’s looming departure comes in the wake of continued administrative disruption at Michigan State. In late May, president Kevin Guskiewicz left unexpectedly for Clemson. He had started his tenure at Michigan State in March of 2024 and played an outsize role in recruiting Batt to East Lansing.

Batt’s replacement would be the fourth MSU athletic director since Bill Beekman’s tenure ended in 2021. Counting a two-year interim stint from 2022 to 2024, Guskiewicz’s replacement would be the school’s fourth president since 2022.

Batt is the former athletic director at Georgia Tech, where he garnered a reputation as a prolific fundraiser. He promoted Brent Key to head coach during his time there and helped modernize the school’s fundraising.

That’s what appealed to Michigan State officials when they lured Batt from Georgia Tech nearly one year ago, as he also brought strong experience in both football and basketball. In his time in East Lansing, Batt led the formation of Spartan Ventures, an independent company outside the athletic department with a focus on maximizing revenues.

Batt’s background is in fundraising. He has SEC experience from his time at Alabama (2017-22), where he worked as the chief operating officer and chief revenue officer prior to his time at Georgia Tech. While at Alabama, he launched a 10-year, $600 million capital campaign.

Prior to Alabama, Batt worked at East Carolina, Maryland, James Madison, William & Mary and North Carolina, his alma mater.

Kentucky is replacing Mitch Barnhart, who stepped down in April after 24 years. He leaves an athletic department that’s in need of modernization, as it had struggled to keep up with SEC football spending and had modest results in men’s basketball under Mark Pope for two seasons.