Kentucky Targets Michigan State Athletic Director J Batt, but No Deal Is Complete

Kentucky has targeted Michigan State athletic director J Batt to become its new athletic director, according to ESPN sources reported by @PeteThamel. 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 potential departure follows 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 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.

Michigan State officials lured Batt from Georgia Tech nearly one year ago, drawn by his 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 focused on maximizing revenues. Batt's background is in fundraising.

He has SEC experience from his time at Alabama from 2017 to 2022, where he worked as chief operating officer and chief revenue officer. 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. The athletic department needs 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.