×

MSU picks new athletic director

Michigan State announced Monday that J Batt was selected to be its vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics.

Batt has been Georgia Tech’s athletic director since the fall of 2022.

“J has an impressive record at several Power 5 schools and an impeccable reputation as a strong and innovative leader,” MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said in a news release.

With the help of Hall of Fame basketball coach Tom Izzo, who called Batt’s selection “a key moment in the history of Michigan State Athletics,” the school had been searching for an athletic director for a month. Alan Haller’s last day as AD was May 11.

The university’s Board of Trustees, which approved the selection, is scheduled to vote on Batt’s hiring on June 13.

An introductory news conference is scheduled for Wednesday.

Batt hired Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key, who has led the program to consecutive winning seasons after a string of four losing seasons in a row. He also hired Damon Stoudamire to coach the basketball team. The former NBA player was .500 last season in his second year.

Previously, Batt was executive deputy athletic director at Alabama and served as chief operating officer and chief revenue officer in the athletic department.

Michigan State has had three straight losing seasons in football. The Spartans were 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten in coach Jonathan Smith’s first year and expectations are modest this fall.

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

Starting at $3.23/week.

Subscribe Today