Kentucky Announces Addition of J Batt, CEO of Champions Blue, Director of UK Athletics

It’s officially, official. Kentucky has found its replacement for Mitch Barnhart, with just about two weeks to spare.

The University of Kentucky announced on Monday morning that J Batt will be the next UK Athletics Director. As a part of the change in structure at the university, he will also serve as the CEO of Champions Blue LLC.

“We couldn’t be more excited to join the University of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation,” Batt said in a 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.”

Reports initially surfaced on Saturday that Kentucky was closing in on Batt, who previously led the athletic departments at Michigan State and Georgia Tech. He also has experience in the SEC. Batt was the Deputy AD at Alabama during his 5-year run in Tuscaloosa.

“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 on Monday. “As important, he has remained focused on ensuring student-athletes compete at the highest levels while being prepared for lives of meaning and purpose.”

It’s not a coincidence that the Kentucky president led with Batt’s experience as a fundraiser. He’s led capital campaigns at seemingly every school he’s worked for, and has developed a reputation in the industry as one of the best of the best when it comes to fundraising. It’s a vital asset in the revenue-sharing era of college athletics.

Learn more by reading Adam Luckett’s Bio Blast on J Batt.

Hear from our new leader. Go Cats 😼 pic.twitter.com/Z4iN9WfB3U

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) June 15, 2026

University of Kentucky Official Announcement of J Batt

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky today announced that J Batt — a nationally recognized leader in college sports — has been named Chief Executive Officer of Champions Blue LLC and UK Athletics Director.

Batt comes to UK from Michigan State University, where he serves as Vice President and Director of Athletics. Previously, he served as Director of Athletics and Vice President at Georgia Tech. He served multiple roles at the University of Alabama for several years, including Executive Deputy Director. Batt also has worked at a number of other university athletics departments.

“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. “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.

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. 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.”

At 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 our Champions Blue LLC, to create new revenue streams and partnerships.

He also has contributed significantly to the ongoing development of a commercial district around the university’s football stadium. 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 fund-raising 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, and their two sons are eager to join Big Blue Nation.

Batt will officially join UK later this summer. He indicated he will spend the next several weeks talking and listening with UK leaders, Athletics staff, donors and other stakeholders as he prepares to take the helm.

Batt succeeds Mitch Barnhart, who is retiring at the end of June after leading UK Athletics to unprecedented success for nearly a quarter century. Among many accomplishments, six NCAA championships as well as more than 60 conference or conference tournament titles were achieved at UK under Barnhart’s leadership. UK also has placed in the Top 20 in the Director’s Cup — the national all-sports standings —numerous times continually over the last two decades, a marker of overall excellence in the program.