UK announces official start date for new Athletic Director J Batt

We have an official start date for the J Batt era as the University of Kentucky’s new Athletic Director.

UK announced on Thursday that Batt will take over as CEO of Champions Blue LLC and UK Athletics Director on July 28. There had been some confusion about when exactly Batt would start his job in Lexington, but UK President Eli Capilouto confirmed earlier this week that the school’s new AD would join the fold soon.

And now we know exactly when that will happen. Batt is replacing UK’s longtime AD, Mitch Barnhart, who wrapped up his tenure on June 30. Barnhart is set to receive over $3 million over the course of three years as part of his settlement agreement. Batt will hit the ground running later this month.

“From my first discussions with President Capilouto and others at UK, I was certain that this is the absolute right opportunity for us,” Batt said in UK’s press release. “Kentucky’s storied history, the opportunity to serve the best fans in the country, the University’s strong institutional alignment and innovative mindset, and the foundation of excellence established by Mitch Barnhart and the athletics department make UK an ideal destination.

“The values and goals of UK Athletics align closely with my own, and this department is well positioned for continued success in the shifting college athletics landscape.”

After leaving his previous AD position at Michigan State, Batt’s initial departure from the Spartans came on the heels of MSU president Kevin Guskiewicz agreeing to move to Clemson for the same position, a deal that would have been worth $1.2 million per year over five years. But on Monday, Guskiewicz backed out of his deal with the Tigers “for personal reasons” and decided to return to East Lansing on a new five-year, $5 million contract at MSU.

Had Guskiewicz left for Clemson, Batt’s buyout with Michigan State would have dropped to $2.5 million. Instead, UK will have to pay Michigan State $3.95 million between now and July 1, 2027, per the school’s press release. Batt will continue his transition process in the coming weeks before arriving in Lexington for good on July 28.