Report: Georgia Tech Interim Athletic Director Jon Palumbo Leaving To Join J Batt's Staff At Michigan State

Originally posted on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 10:17 AM ET

A little over one month after former Georgia Tech Athletic Director J Batt left for Michigan State, the Yellow Jackets' interim AD is following him to East Lansing. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel and confirmed by the AJC's Chad Bishop, Georgia Tech interim AD Jon Palumbo is leaving to be the new Executive Deputy Athletics Director/COO for the Spartans.

Sources: Michigan State is set to hire Georgia Tech interim AD Jon Palumbo as the the school's new Executive Deputy Athletics Director/COO. He's been the AD at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and a deputy AD at VCU prior to Georgia Tech. At Tech, he worked with current Michigan State AD… pic.twitter.com/zphO2jWYr2
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 7, 2025

Expecting Michigan State to announce soon that Georgia Tech interim athletic director Jon Palumbo will join J Batt’s staff at MSU, as @PeteThamel has already reported
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) July 7, 2025

Georgia Tech's athletic director search has been ongoing ever since Batt left.

Palumbo’s influence was visible across nearly every area of Georgia Tech Athletics. He served as the day-to-day administrator and liaison for the football program, which recently earned back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in a decade. He has also led planning and execution for major capital projects, including the Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center — a 100,000-square-foot facility under construction that will house leading-edge resources in training, nutrition, sports medicine, sports science, and analytics for more than 400 Yellow Jacket student-athletes.

In addition, Palumbo oversaw event operations and fan engagement strategies, including the successful launch of the Helluva Block Party, which quickly became a signature gameday tradition along North Avenue in Atlanta. He has also played a critical role in strategic coaching hires, including Brent Key as head football coach, Damon Stoudamire as head men’s basketball coach, and Karen Blair as head women’s basketball coach. Prior to arriving at Georgia Tech, Palumbo served as the director of Athletics at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

During Batt’s tenure, Georgia Tech made significant strides. He led the hiring of Brent Key as head football coach, Damon Stoudamire as head men’s basketball coach, and Karen Blair as head women’s basketball coach — each bringing fresh energy and long-term promise to their programs.

In 2023, Batt launched Full Steam Ahead, a $500 million initiative to modernize facilities, enhance the student-athlete experience, and strengthen Georgia Tech’s competitive edge. The campaign has already attracted more than $300 million in pledges. In fiscal year 2024, Athletics raised a record $78.2 million, surpassing the previous single-year high by 43%.

He also played a key role in securing a multidecade partnership with Hyundai Motor Company — one of the largest in Institute history — bringing new revenue streams and cross-campus collaboration in sustainability and innovation.

Academically, student-athletes achieved record success under Batt’s leadership, including a 94% graduation success rate and an all-time high GPA of 3.30 in Spring 2025.

On the field, Georgia Tech Athletics saw strong postseason performance: 14 of 17 varsity teams advanced in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Football earned consecutive bowl berths for the first time in a decade, and fans celebrated consecutive NCAA semifinal appearances in golf, a Sweet 16 berth in volleyball, and several exciting wins by both men’s and women’s basketball over nationally ranked opponents.

Stay tuned right here for the latest updates on Georgia Tech's search for a new Athletic Director.