DETROIT -- College athletics are headed into an era of uncharted waters. Michigan State is closing in on its next athletic director to lead at a pivotal time.
J Batt, athletic director at Georgia Tech since 2022, is expected to be formally announced as Michigan State's next AD as early as Sunday night, The Detroit News has learned.
Michigan State trustees were set to have a phone call with president Kevin Guskiewicz early Sunday evening, according to two sources familiar with the decision. The News reported early Sunday morning that Batt had emerged as a serious target, from a list of seven finalists for the job.
Batt comes to Michigan State after running the athletic department at Georgia Tech since 2022. He holds more than a dozen years in athletic administration, including stints as an associate or deputy AD at Maryland from 2011 to 2013, East Carolina from 2013 to 2017 and at Alabama from 2017 to 2022. He also worked in athletics fundraising at James Madison, William and Mary and North Carolina, the latter being his alma mater and where he helped win an NCAA championship in men's soccer in 2001.
With the Crimson Tide, Batt also specialized in revenue generation and served as a sport administrator for men's basketball. He also became close to Nick Saban, the legendary Alabama football coach who patrolled the sidelines at Michigan State from 1995 to 1999.
Batt's expected hiring comes exactly one month after Guskiewicz fired Alan Haller as athletic director, seeking a successor with a background in fundraising.
"This is a pivotal time for college athletics, where innovation, effective communications and community engagement are more important than ever," Guskiewicz said at the time. "Our next athletic director will lead one of the nation's more storied athletic programs, home to 23 varsity sports, a passionate fan base, a long legacy of academic and athletic excellence and, most importantly, an ambitious future."
A future dictated by what are essentially brand-new rules. The resolution of the House v. NCAA settlement could put into effect roster limits and the distribution of $20.5 million in revenue sharing as early as next season. Michigan State wants a strong leader at the helm of an institution that wants to compete in Power Four athletics.
Batt comes with a strong resume in a number of key areas for Michigan State. First and foremost, he's a fundraiser, gathering north of $78 million in donations to Georgia Tech athletics during his first fiscal year. According to records obtained by The Detroit News, Michigan State athletics raised $44 million in donations in fiscal year 2025, with a month to spare.
As part of those fundraising efforts at Georgia Tech, Batt raised money for planned renovations to Bobby Dodd Stadium. He also helped raise money to renovate Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium. Both amount to prescient experience considering the age and state of Spartan Stadium. Georgia Tech athletics also boasted a record 94% graduation rate and 3.25 GPA in 2024, both of which were school records.
Such strong work at Georgia Tech earned Batt a contract extension in January expected to run through 2029. That contract requires Batt or an institution on Batt's behalf to pay Georgia Tech a buyout of 30% of Batt's unpaid salary and supplemental income, as reported by Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Batt marks MSU's first outside hire for athletic director in 30 years, though he's not the first Georgia Tech AD to move to Michigan State. Doug Weaver left Georgia Tech for MSU in 1979 and was in East Lansing for a decade until his retirement in 1989.
©2025 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.