This morning, the University of Kentucky announced J Batt as its next Athletic Director, leaving MSU with vacancies at its two highest positions: President and Athletic Director.
On May 27, MSU lost President Kevin Guskiewicz after a 27-month incumbency. He left for Clemson over concerns about divisions within the MSU Board of Trustees, claiming that trustees used their positions to “promote personal agendas.”
376 days after his formal appointment at MSU, Batt now heads to Kentucky to lead their athletics department and supervise their for-profit LLC, Champions Blue, as CEO. Batt is expected to start at Kentucky later this summer, according to a UK press release.
Guskiewicz brought Batt to East Lansing from the ACC in June of 2025, and the two quickly became key partners in the department's fundraising efforts.
Their relationship dates back to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where Guskiewicz led concussion research while Batt served as a graduate assistant with the men's soccer program. Batt was the goalkeeper on North Carolina's 2001 national championship team.
When Guskiewicz announced his move to Clemson University two weeks ago, a clause in Batt's contract reduced his buyout from $5 million to $2.5 million. That is the amount the University of Kentucky will owe Michigan State.
Batt was earning $1.85 million annually at Michigan State, with $100,000 raises scheduled each year on a six-year deal. His salary represented a substantial increase from the $800,000 base salary earned by his predecessor, Alan Haller.
Haller was dismissed from his post by Guskiewicz in May 2025 following NCAA sanctions and underperforming seasons, spurring a month-long search for a candidate to take the helm of MSU's athletics department. Guskiewicz and Batt were committed to top-down university alignment in all initiatives and leadership.
The two introduced Spartan Ventures and Spartan Media Ventures in October 2025 as a way to modernize MSU’s approach to raising capital in the NIL era with skyrocketing spending across the NCAA.
The weekend after MSU football finished 4-8 for its fourth straight losing season, Batt fired head coach Jonathan Smith with a 9-15 record over two seasons. Batt then brought on former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who will lead the program this fall.
