By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Jason “J” Batt won’t officially take over as Kentucky’s Athletics Director until July 1 and he’s honored to follow Mitch Barnhart, who will be stepping into retirement next week.
“Part of what attracted us so much to the University of Kentucky into this athletic department is the standard of excellence, the standard of championships that Mitch built over 20 plus almost 25 years,” Batt said. “(I’m) so honored to follow Mitch. Honored to work every day to try to meet that standard that he set. This is a place that is well-positioned for the future of college athletics and it’s something that we’re super excited about.”
Batt left Michigan State after less than a year and will begin his tenure at Kentucky with a six-year contract for an average of $2.975 million per year. He will also receive nine incentive bonuses, and his base salary will begin at $400,000 per year, which includes yearly supplemental pay. Kentucky also paid Batt’s $2.5 million buyout clause at Michigan State.
“This is a destination for us,” Batt said. “You’ll have a chance to see my wife and he’s made it clear that our boys, who are nine and 11, are going to graduate high school here in Lexington, and so we’re fully locked in,” he said. “This is an incredible place. Stability has been a hallmark of the University of Kentucky. You know, President Capilouto, I think, the 12th president in 160 years. Mitch is 20 years-plus, unbelievable. That’s something that we also are excited about, and so that with the alignment with the strength of Big Blue Nation, this is an incredible place that we look forward to being for a very long time.”
Batt has worked for several athletic directors in his career, including Jeff Bourne at James Madison, Jeff Kompfer at East Carolina and Greg Byrne at Alabama. He added that his biggest influence has been his father.
“I think I’ve learned a tremendous amount from each of them,” he said. “I learned a ton from my Dad about work ethic and doing things with integrity, and so count him as one of my mentors as well. But I think I’ve learned a lot from every single one of them.
“I think what’s great about our business is that folks are able and feel, you know, the ability to share and pour into others, and I’ve had the chance to get a lot of that along the way.”
Although he has yet to make a hire at Kentucky, Batt said anyone who leads a program under his watch needs to have a “proven track record” and “the right fit.”
“They’ve got to fit your place, they’ve got to fit your fan base and they’ve got to make sense in your place,” he said. “The second thing that I think is the most important, in particular in today’s environment of constant change, is windows of influence. You’ve got to have authentic leadership, which is super important. As you look at the kind of coaches, particularly those who have been successful in the last five years, a lot of that comes down to authentic leadership.”