Spartan Stadium north end zone entrance in East Lansing, Mich., on July 14, 2026.
Michigan State University has landed its next athletic director following the sudden departure of J Batt in July.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, former Western Michigan Athletic Director Dan Bartholomae is reported to be the university’s ninth athletic director since 1995.
At WMU, Bartholomae oversaw historic growth in various programs. The Broncos football team won the 2025 MAC Championship, and its hockey team won its first-ever national championship in the same year. After an August 2025 contract extension and pay increase, Bartholomae was set to stay in Kalamazoo through 2031, earning $750,000 a year in base salary, according to documents obtained by The Detroit News.
The contract includes a $5.1 million buyout in year one of the new contract. In year two, it drops to $4.25 million, and in the third year, it falls to $3.4 million.
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