Kentucky is targeting Michigan State's J Batt to be next athletic director

Kentucky’s search for a new athletic director could be coming to a close. A candidate with extensive power conference experience has emerged.

Michigan State director of athletics J Batt has emerged as Kentucky’s top candidate, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger. The long search for a new athletic administration leader could be ending soon.

Kentucky has zeroed in on Michigan State’s J Batt in its search for an athletic director, sources tell @YahooSports.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 13, 2026

The 44-year-old is a Virginia native who went to school at the University of North Carolina. Batt started his administrator career there before stops at William and Mary, James Madison, Maryland, and East Carolina. Batt then became the deputy athletic director at Alabama where he worked under Greg Byrne. Byrne is a former Kentucky administrator who worked under Mitch Barnhart from 2002-05.

In 2022, Georgia Tech hired J Batt to replace Todd Stansbury. Bat was in charge when the Yellow Jackets took the interim tag of head coach Brent Key and also ran the search to hire men’s basketball head coach Damon Stoudamire who was just fired. Batt then left for Michigan State where he spent just one school year. The athletic director ran the football search that hired Pat Fitzgerald. Now he could be leaving to return to the SEC.

Kentucky appears ready to a hire an athletic administration lifer who has spent time in the SEC and has banked multiple years on running a power conference athletic department.

J Batt’s work history

2005	North Carolina (graduate assistant)
2005–2007	William and Mary (assistant director of athletic development)
2007–2009	James Madison (director of major gifts for athletics)
2009–2013	Maryland (executive director of the Terrapin Club)
2013–2017	East Carolina (associate AD)
2017–2022	Alabama (Deputy AD)
2022–2025	Georgia Tech
2025–present	Michigan State

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