Athletics Director J Batt will officially be leaving Michigan State University on July 28 with a $3.95 million buyout, according to a University of Kentucky press release on Thursday evening.
“From my first discussions with President (Eli) Capilouto and others at UK, I was certain that this is the absolute right opportunity for us,” Batt said in a UK press release. “Kentucky’s storied history, the opportunity to serve the best fans in the country, the University’s strong institutional alignment and innovative mindset, and the foundation of excellence established by Mitch Barnhart and the athletics department make UK an ideal destination."
MSU Vice President of Communications and spokesperson Emily Guerrant confirmed Batt's date of departure.
Batt announced he would be leaving MSU to assume the role of Kentucky's athletic director and CEO of its for-profit LLC, Champions Blue, on June 15. Batt was temporarily listed on both universities' athletic staff directories as negotiations over his departure date continued.
Guerrant could not comment on what he may or may not have been doing for Kentucky.
"I can just say that he has continued to be an employee of Michigan State, and has shown up for work, and now we have an end date that we're working towards for him to make the transition to the University of Kentucky," Guerrant said.
Kentucky will pay MSU $3.95 million as part of Batt's buyout. Batt's contract initially listed his buyout as $5 million, but Guskiewicz's proposed departure to Clemson University in May triggered a clause that slashed Batt's buyout in half.
Guskiewicz announced on July 6 that he would remain MSU's president, rescinding his offer to assume the same position at Clemson. Guerrant said Batt's new buyout was negotiated between the legal departments of the two universities.
During Batt's tenure as athletics director at MSU, he helped lock down Greg and Dawn Williams' $401 million donation, $390 million of which was directed to MSU athletics.
Guskiewicz recruited Batt from the ACC in 2025, and the two were in lockstep in all fundraising efforts for the athletics department. The two met at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where Guskiewicz led concussion research while Batt was a graduate assistant on the university's soccer team. Batt helped the team win a national championship as a goalkeeper in 2001.
An interim athletics director has not yet been named, although Guerrant said an announcement would be made soon.
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