Kentucky saved millions on J Batt thanks to a weird buyout with Michigan State

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University of Kentucky athletics director J Batt speaks with members of the media during an interview session in Lexington, Ky., on June 16, 2026. Batt was introduced this week as the successor to retiring athletics director Mitch Barnhart. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When Kentucky hired J Batt to come from Michigan State, everyone knew that it would come at a price. But it turns out, it’s not going to be nearly as much as expected.

Thanks to Michigan State’s former president, Kevin Guskiewicz, that number is halved. Because Guskiewicz decided to leave East Lansing to become Clemson’s new president, Batt’s buyout went from $5 million to $2.5 million.

Guskiewicz handpicked Batt, and the two were close going back to their days at North Carolina. Michigan State paid just over $2 million to get Batt from Georgia Tech, so they’ll likely make a little money but not nearly as much as they would have hoped.

And that is money that Kentucky can reinvest, and Batt himself has some unique ways of raising funds.

J Batt’s approach to money-making may turn some off​

During his time in East Lansing, he declared that Michigan State was “open for business” when it comes to naming rights, jersey patches, and other opportunities to raise money.

Now that is going to mess with some of the traditionalists who don’t think jersey patches should be a thing. The blue and white is seen as sacred in some parts of the state, so seeing Jersey Mike’s on the top right of the jersey may be a little off-putting. For me, I don’t really mind it at all. I think they’ll still sell non-advertised jerseys through Nike, so you can still get them, and it helps raise money WITHOUT raising ticket prices.

That’s the crucial bit of the whole thing. Raising money and spending money sounds real good until the bottom line is passed onto fans. So, there needs to be some type of creative money-making strategies, and it seems Batt is really good at doing just that.

The good news is Kentucky will have a head start, thanks to a buyout rule working in its favor. Where do you stand on patches on jerseys?

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