Shocking Development Shows Batt's Eagerness To Leave Michigan State

J Batt's departure for Kentucky was hardly an accident.

Kentucky wasn't the only destination Michigan State's athletic director looked at. According to a report by Conner Earegood of the Detroit News, Batt also applied for positions at Purdue, Wisconsin, and Virginia Tech.

The Fallout

Michigan State Director of Athletics J Batt watches a play against Western Michigan form the sideline during the second half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, August 29, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Batt's decision to leave is pretty clearly connected with the pending departure of president Kevin Guskiewicz. The tension between Guskiewicz and the Board of Trustees, partially over the creation of Spartan Ventures, was so great that Guskiewicz is willing to make much less at Clemson rather than stay at MSU. The board raised Guskiewicz's salary to $2 million during an emergency meeting on May 17 to try to keep him, but it was for naught.

"Alignment" was a big thing the Spartans were showing off when they hired Batt and when Batt hired Pat Fitzgerald. Finally, MSU had its president, AD, and head football coach on the same page. That all went away with Guskiewicz's departure. Batt was then ripe for the taking, and Kentucky took advantage.

J Batt, Kevin Guskiewic — Michigan State University Athletic Director J Batt, right, speaks on stage with MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz during a panel discussion hosted by the Lansing Economic Club on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Honestly, the silver lining here is that Batt didn't end up landing with a Big Ten school. Leaving Michigan State for a similarly positioned school like Kentucky (great basketball, weaker football) is tough enough. A conference rival would've been a different story.

Instead, Batt is at least somewhat separated from MSU by heading an SEC program's athletic department. Michigan State hoops won't even face Kentucky in the Champions Classic again until 2028.

Timing of Batt's Decision To Leave

Bolting just about three weeks after Guskiewicz was announced as Clemson's next president is enough indication, but other factors show Batt's desire to go, too. He's leaving with a little more than two weeks before the official launch of Spartan Ventures, which was perhaps his biggest move as AD at Michigan State.

Openings for athletic director positions only come up so often, so one does have to be a bit opportunistic, but it still is a bit sudden. Spartan Ventures CEO Jon Palumbo, who is expected to eventually be named interim AD, said Batt will still be around for a few weeks to help with the transition on Monday. He also said that Spartan Ventures will still launch as scheduled on July 1.

Launching Spartan Ventures and getting an interim athletic director (likely Palumbo) in place who is ready to hold the job for an extended period of time are the two steps MSU must take now. That will calm the chaos and bring change to the NIL and revenue-generating fronts that will legitimately benefit the school.

Add us as a preferred source on Google