Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz welcomes new Athletic Director J Batt, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What MSU President Guskiewicz Was Looking for in a New AD

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Michigan State completed its month-long search for an athletic director with the hiring of J Batt.

And his track record suggests it found the right fit.

The university had been placing an emphasis on fundraising, something Batt is excellent at. On top of that, he is driven and has a great sense of judgement, a reflection of his coaching hires at Georgia Tech.

Michigan State president Kevin M. Guskiewicz put careful thought into the search. The school wanted to nail it and was willing to pay handsomely.

"I wanted a thought leader," Guskiewicz said at Batt's introductory press conference on Wednesday. "I wanted somebody who was respected at the highest level in the industry. Jim Phillips (ACC Commissioner) is a good friend of mine as well, as coach (Tom) Izzo said."

Guskiewicz knew Batt previously, so the familiarity was already there. But that didn't mean it was going to be easy to get him to East Lansing.

"That call to him was a little difficult because I was potentially pulling away one of the top ADs in the ACC, which is where I came from and admire so many people there," Guskiewicz said. "But I wanted a thought leader, I wanted somebody who I knew, because I have seen J work at that level when I was Chancellor at UNC Chapel Hill, and we would get together at meetings there.

"He is the type of guy who rolls his sleeves up; he's at the table, and he's invested and not sitting back. He's a thought leader nationally, somebody who can get creative around the new revenue streams, which is so critically important, somebody who is outward facing and engaging.

"I mean, I have heard from so many people in the room here in the past couple of days that he's already called and texted with many of you. That's who he is. You will get to know J Batt, and that will take us to the next level. On top of that, he was a better soccer player than he's going to let you to believe."

Batt will begin his duties the week of June 16.

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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