The University of Kentucky has officially named Jason “J” Batt as its 11th athletics director and CEO of Champions Blue LLC, signaling a strategic shift toward prioritizing football revenue to fuel athletic-wide success.
Batt, 44, will succeed Mitch Barnhart, who is retiring on June 30 after 24 years as the longest-serving active athletic director at any power-conference school. The hire was formally announced on Monday, June 15, after Kentucky made a “strong push” for Batt over the weekend, with ESPN’s Pete Thamel reporting the deal includes a six-year contract.
A Prolific Fundraiser Joins Big Blue Nation
Batt arrives in Lexington with a reputation as one of college athletics’ most elite fundraisers — a skill set that was prioritized in the search as the school navigates the rapidly evolving landscape of revenue sharing and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation.
His fundraising resume includes a staggering $400 million commitment secured during his single year at Michigan State, which UK described as the largest single gift in college athletics history. At Georgia Tech, he helped break the school’s previous athletic fundraising record by more than 40%. While at Alabama, Batt played a key role in launching a 10-year, $600 million capital initiative that funded significant renovations to Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“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 in a news release. “As important, he has remained focused on ensuring student-athletes compete at the highest levels while being prepared for lives of meaning and purpose.”
Football-First Strategy
In a notable departure from the department’s traditional basketball-centric identity, Batt has publicly expressed his intention to prioritize the football program under head coach Will Stein. This strategic approach reflects the modern reality of college athletics: football generates the most revenue, and a successful football program provides the financial resources to fuel success across all other sports, including basketball.
When Batt took the Michigan State job, he stated: “Every athletics department competing at the highest level must be successful in football.” That philosophy is now coming to Lexington.
Dual Role as Champions Blue CEO
Batt’s position carries an additional title that his predecessor did not hold: CEO of Champions Blue LLC, the nonprofit corporation created by UK to house the athletic department in 2025. This dual role signals that Batt is expected to run the athletic enterprise more like a business, maximizing revenue and managing expenses in an era when schools can now distribute more than $20 million per year directly to athletes.
Batt will report directly to Capilouto and serve as a non-voting member of the Champions Blue Board of Governors.
In his first statement as Kentucky’s AD, Batt said: “We couldn’t be more excited to join the University of Kentucky and the Big Blue Nation. 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.”
Background and Path to Lexington
Batt’s journey to Kentucky includes an impressive trajectory through college athletics administration. He won a national championship as a soccer player at North Carolina in 2001, later earning both a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications and a master’s degree in sports administration from his alma mater.
His administrative career has included stops at William & Mary, James Madison, Maryland, and East Carolina before serving six years (2017-2022) as executive deputy director of athletics at Alabama. He landed his first athletic director position at Georgia Tech in 2022 before moving to Michigan State in June 2025.
The Barnhart Transition
Batt’s hiring caps a period of significant upheaval in a department once known for stability. In the past two years, Kentucky has hired new coaches in men’s basketball (Mark Pope), football (Will Stein), women’s basketball (Kenny Brooks), and now a new athletic director. Barnhart spent more than two decades leading the department, while John Calipari spent 15 years as men’s basketball coach and Mark Stoops spent 13 years as football coach before Calipari left for Arkansas in 2024 and Stoops was fired last December.
Barnhart would have been paid $1.55 million next year, plus a retention bonus of $650,000 if he had remained through July 2027. The financial terms of Batt’s Kentucky contract have not yet been released, though his Michigan State contract would have paid him $1.95 million in the coming year.
Departure from Michigan State
Batt’s exit from Michigan State after just one year was facilitated by a reduced buyout. His Michigan State contract included a $5 million buyout through the first two years, but that figure was cut in half to $2.5 million after university president Kevin Guskiewicz announced in May he was leaving for Clemson. Guskiewicz, who had known Batt for more than 25 years dating back to their time at North Carolina, had hired Batt away from Georgia Tech.
What This Means for Kentucky Athletics
For Big Blue Nation, the Batt hire represents a philosophical shift toward aggressive revenue generation and football prioritization, while still maintaining Kentucky’s proud basketball tradition. His experience working with Nate Oats at Alabama where he served as the lead administrator for basketball suggests he understands what it takes to build an SEC winner on the hardwood as well.
“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 said.
Batt will spend the next several weeks meeting with UK administrators, athletic staff, donors, and other stakeholders as he prepares to officially take over the role on July 1. For a program looking to compete in the new frontier of college athletics, the message from Lexington is clear: the business of winning starts now.
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