University of Kentucky hires Jason “J” Batt as next Athletics Director
Batt will also serve as Champions Blue LLC CEO | Comes to Lexington after one year at Michigan State and two years at Georgia Tech
(ABC 36 NEWS NOW via LEX NEWS) – The University of Kentucky has found its next Athletics Director. Jason “J” Batt has been named Chief Executive Officer of Champions Blue LLC and UK Athletics Director. Batt will officially join UK later this summer as he becomes the 11th Athletics Director in UK history, succeeding Mitch Barnhart after his 24 years at the helm.
Batt’s contract details, including length of term and compensation, have not yet been released, although ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel is reporting a six-year contract.
Batt comes to Lexington after most recently spending the past year in East Lansing as the Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics. Previously, he served as the Director of Athletics and Vice President at Georgia Tech from 2022-25. Before that, Batt was in the Southeastern Conference, serving in multiple roles at the University of Alabama, including Executive Deputy Director.
His career also includes stops at East Carolina, Maryland, James Madison and William and Mary, as well as his alma mater, North Carolina.
Leader. Innovator. The man for the job.
BBN, welcome J Batt as the CEO of Champions Blue, LLC and UK Athletics Director. pic.twitter.com/KNzlPvIi1N
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) June 15, 2026
“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,” UK President Eli Capilouto said today in a message to the UK campus. “As important, he has remained focused on ensuring student-athletes compete at the highest levels while being prepared for lives of meaning and purpose.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to join the University of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation,” Batt said via release. “The championship standard has been established at Kentucky and we are committed to upholding that standard of excellence. Our continued success will take everyone in the Big Blue Nation, working together to provide resources to our teams and our student athletes that position them for success. With that standard as our North Star, Kentucky Athletics and Champions Blue are well positioned to deliver results in the changing landscape that is college athletics today.”
At his most-recent position with Michigan State, Batt was instrumental with coaches and administrators in securing a more than $400 million commitment — the largest single gift in college athletics — and established Spartan Ventures, a nonprofit similar in focus to Kentucky’s Champions Blue LLC, in which Batt is now the CEO.
“Despite this period of ongoing change, we remain in the opportunity business — creating opportunities for our student-athletes to compete and win championships, earn degrees and prepare for life after sport,” Batt’s statement continues. “We are excited to work with an outstanding staff and coaches on behalf of a University to deliver for the Big Blue Nation and to serve this special community that represents the entire Commonwealth.”
Statements centered around fundraising should come as no surprise, after Dr. Eli Capilouto spoke on a March 25th episode of the podcast “Behind the Blue,” which is produced by the University of Kentucky Public Relations Department, about the then-ongoing “listening tour” for Barnhart’s replacement:
“College sports, whether we like it or not, is now a business in many respects. Expenses can’t outpace revenues. We have to have leadership that thinks about how we generate more revenue while managing expenses even more efficiently and effectively.”
“We have to think differently about organization and structure,” he continued. “We have an incredibly-great team in UK Athletics. I’ve been inspired by the interviews I’ve conducted with senior leadership and some of our coaches… We must be willing to look at other models. What’s going on in pro sports, businesses similar to ours, and other entities and organizations? We can take the best of what they’re doing, combine those with what we do so well, and I think position ourselves for further success.”
In addition to creating new revenue streams and partnerships, Batt contributed significantly to the ongoing development of a commercial district around Michigan State’s football stadium. Under Barnhart, UK has explored a similar project in the area surrounding Kroger Field and Historic Memorial Coliseum.
The “entertainment district” has been a frequent topic of conversation at recent Champions Blue LLC board of governors meetings, including one earlier this spring.
Kevin Locke, UK’s associate vice president of planning, design and construction, told the board in April the school is moving forward with the “Cooper Connector” plan for the proposed entertainment district, meaning the removal of the first home for the Bluegrass Community and Technical College by the end of this year.
“Food and beverage, that would serve as the anchor use for this scheme,” Locke told the board. “This location needs genuine energy, with multiple retail spots creating critical mass, rather than an isolated, one-off destination. And with the right mix of food, entertainment, and access, this corridor will come alive and attract private investors as well as become an asset for the university, staff, and surrounding community.”
Batt fired Michigan State football head coach Jonathan Smith at the end of last season, following a 4-8, non-bowl eligible year. He hired former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald to lead the program.
During his tenure, Michigan State student-athletes achieved the highest department-wide GPA in school history, and eight teams earned NCAA tournament bids this past year.
During his final year at Georgia Tech, the university was one of only nine schools nationally that earned postseason berths in football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball. Under his leadership there, Georgia Tech also broke fundraising records by more than 40 percent.
Batt also has been engaged nationally as a leader, amid so much change in college athletics. He served on the House Settlement Implementation Committee and currently serves as chair of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Batt is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of a national championship soccer team and later earned his master’s degree. He and his wife, Leah, have two sons.
