Georgia Tech Athletic Director J Batt Leaving for Michigan State, Per Reports

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeff Hauser | Last updated Jun 1, 2025 3:51 PM ET

Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt is expected to take a similar position at Michigan State, according to a report by ESPN's Pete Thamel. He's emerged as a finalist for the job, and a deal is expected to come together in the near future.

This comes after Tony Paul of The Detroit News posted on Sunday morning that Batt was on a short list and likely the favorite. Batt has spent two years at Georgia Tech, where he has had a lot of success in fundraising and is known as a "big basketball guy" according to Paul.

Sources: Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt is expected to become the next athletic director at Michigan State. He's emerged as the target, and a deal is expected to come together in the near future. pic.twitter.com/R5MlAc9xTV
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 1, 2025

Michigan State parted ways with Alan Haller earlier this month after a nearly four-year run as athletic director. Haller's final day at MSU was May 11.

Batt was at the forefront of hiring Brent Key to the football program and former All-American and NBA All-Star Damon Stoudamire as the Yellow Jackets’ 15th men’s basketball head coach. He oversaw a record-breaking $78.2 million in contributions to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund his first full fiscal year at the helm (FY 2024), shattering the previous single-year record by 43 percent.

Georgia Tech has also taken a big step towards re-establishing itself as one of college athletics’ premier programs under Batt, highlighted by back-to-back football bowl berths for the first time since 2013-14, a plethora of high-profile gridiron victories, including a 28-23 win over previously unbeaten and No. 4-ranked Miami in November, and the program’s first appearance in the Associated Press top 25 in nine years.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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