Kentucky names Michigan State's J Batt athletics director, CEO of Champions Blue

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The University of Kentucky on Monday announced the hiring of J Batt as its next athletics director and chief executive officer of Champions Blue LLC.

Batt comes to Kentucky from Michigan State, where he has served as vice president and director of athletics. He succeeds Mitch Barnhart, who is retiring at the end of June after nearly 24 years leading UK Athletics.

Kentucky President Eli Capilouto cited Batt's fundraising success, strategic vision and experience navigating the rapidly changing college athletics landscape.

"Across these institutions, J has distinguished himself as a record-breaker in fundraising and as a leader who strategically invests in facilities to maximize resources and revenue," Capilouto said in a message to the campus community. "As important, he has remained focused on ensuring student-athletes compete at the highest levels while being prepared for lives of meaning and purpose."

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Batt arrives in Lexington after spending one year at Michigan State, where he helped secure a commitment of more than $400 million -- described by the university as the largest single gift in college athletics history. He also helped establish Spartan Ventures, a nonprofit organization designed to create new revenue streams and business partnerships for athletics, and played a role in the development of a commercial district surrounding the football stadium.

Prior to Michigan State, Batt served as director of athletics at Georgia Tech from 2022-25. During his tenure, Georgia Tech set fundraising records, exceeding previous marks by more than 40%, while also launching major facility projects and expanding corporate partnerships.

Before becoming an athletic director, Batt spent five years at Alabama, serving in multiple leadership roles, including executive deputy director of athletics. There, he helped oversee the Crimson Standard, a 10-year, $600 million capital campaign.

Batt has also emerged as a national voice in recent years. He served on the House Settlement Implementation Committee, which is helping guide the industry's transition into the revenue-sharing era, and currently serves as chairman of the College Football Hall of Fame.

"We couldn't be more excited to join the University of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation," Batt said in a statement. "The championship standard has been established at Kentucky and we are committed to upholding that standard of excellence."

Batt said Kentucky and Champions Blue are well-positioned to succeed amid continuing changes in college athletics and pledged to focus on creating opportunities for student-athletes to compete for championships, earn degrees and prepare for life after sports.

A graduate of North Carolina, Batt was a member of the Tar Heels' 2001 national championship soccer team and later earned a master's degree from the university. He and his wife, Leah, have two sons.

Batt will officially begin his new role later this summer and said he plans to spend the coming weeks meeting with university leaders, athletics staff, donors and other stakeholders.

He takes over a Kentucky athletics department that enjoyed unprecedented success under Barnhart, including six NCAA championships, more than 60 conference and conference tournament titles, and numerous top-20 finishes in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings.

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