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Grade the Hire of the New Athletic Director - J Batt

Grade the Hire

  • A

    Votes: 114 59.1%

  • B

    Votes: 56 29.0%

  • C

    Votes: 13 6.7%

  • D

    Votes: 4 2.1%

  • F

    Votes: 6 3.1%
  • Total voters
    193
Im The Village Idiot

Im The Village Idiot

All-Conference
Sep 7, 2025
1,580
4,259
113
Tim0808 said:
That will not help Kentucky basketball recruiting. Kentucky’s recruiting problems have not been money issues.
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Tim….

Do you see anywhere in my post where I made any assertion about recruiting???

I compared Batt’s fundraising to Calipari’s recruiting in terms of their proficiency. But that’s it. Batt isn’t going to be tasked with recruiting.

You gotta think bigger picture than just Pope all the time. If anything you should be happy — the new AD will demand excellence from Pope or it’s possible we end up with Oats in the future. He’s already shown at previous stops, he doesn’t wait around if something isn’t working.

I trust Pope to figure it out. I know that you do not. Both us can still be hopeful regardless. Either it works with Pope or there’s good reason to believe he can bring Oats here.
 
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U

UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
2,190
3,822
113
bigblueinsanity (the real) said:
Good question. All we know is Mitch actively prevented any nil anything for about two years.

My understanding, from what little I actually know, is the money is ok right now. Most of it comes from Joe Craft, to no surprise. Some others stepped up too but we need more to take the next step. Stein can only punch up so far.

The thing no one in the sec wants to admit is what I posted a couple of years ago: the big 10 is outspending everyone and by a wide margin. Unless caps are put in place, they will just keep dominating at the top of football. We'll never outspend them, but we can both get more money and get more for our money. I think j batt can get us there.
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Mitch had no such restrictions. Not is Craft the number 1 donor. He’s up there. Certainly top 10 if not not top 5?



The only UK coach
that had any problems was Pope.

And even he says JMI was no problem.

This might be a great hire? It might be a terrible hire? No one knows yet.
 
BigBluefoot

BigBluefoot

All-American
Jul 4, 2025
1,911
7,030
113
johnny depp stop GIF
 
B

bigblueinsanity (the real)

All-American
Jul 6, 2025
2,449
6,872
113
UKBB4Ever said:
Mitch had no such restrictions. Not is Craft the number 1 donor. He’s up there. Certainly top 10 if not not top 5?



The only UK coach
that had any problems was Pope.

And even he says JMI was no problem.

This might be a great hire? It might be a terrible hire? No one knows yet.
Click to expand...

Mitch self imposed his own restrictions. Stoops and cal weren't even allowed to say the word for about a year.
 
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exo6desmo

exo6desmo

Senior
Mar 25, 2026
357
685
93
CameronCat22 said:
He should have read the experts on this board and learned about all the restrictions, handcuffs, and other vague accusations before taking the job. UK athletics is supposedly dead until 2040.
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Dude, give it a rest. Leave me out of your nonsense. Ok?
 
C

CameronCat22

Junior
Apr 12, 2026
291
312
63
bigblueinsanity (the real) said:
Good question. All we know is Mitch actively prevented any nil anything for about two years.

My understanding, from what little I actually know, is the money is ok right now. Most of it comes from Joe Craft, to no surprise. Some others stepped up too but we need more to take the next step. Stein can only punch up so far.

The thing no one in the sec wants to admit is what I posted a couple of years ago: the big 10 is outspending everyone and by a wide margin. Unless caps are put in place, they will just keep dominating at the top of football. We'll never outspend them, but we can both get more money and get more for our money. I think j batt can get us there.
Click to expand...
Yikes, so we had no NIL anything for two whole years. It’s a wonder that we could even field a team with no NIL anything for 2 years in the NIL era.

Thank goodness that we are OK in that area now, I was worried when you said we were so far behind in that area at 9:24 this morning. What a difference 7 hours makes, we went from being so far behind in that area to to the money being OK in two shakes of a lambs tail.
 
C

CameronCat22

Junior
Apr 12, 2026
291
312
63
exo6desmo said:
Dude, give it a rest. Leave me out of your nonsense. Ok?
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Give it a rest after they pushed these lies about my team for the last 7 months and claimed our athletes had all these made up restrictions? Nah, I want to keep talking about these “restrictions”, “handcuffs”, and all the “JMI stuff” so we can fix the problems. Weird that you never said give it a rest the last 7 months.
 
exo6desmo

exo6desmo

Senior
Mar 25, 2026
357
685
93
CameronCat22 said:
Give it a rest after they pushed these lies about my team for the last 7 months and claimed our athletes had all these made up restrictions? Nah, I want to keep talking about these “restrictions”, “handcuffs”, and all the “JMI stuff” so we can fix the problems. Weird that you never said give it a rest the last 7 months.
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I'm not involved in this. Stop harassing me you creep. @jedwar can you help me out with this lunatic?
 
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CRZ4UK

CRZ4UK

Heisman
Jun 6, 2008
5,083
10,170
103
Let’s hope he attends the first home football game , says WTF and changes everything about the 12 YO game day experience under Barnhart. Worst stadium atmosphere in the SEC hands down. The fans do their best while listening to Back in Black and Baby Shark. Do do do do do do . Ugh.
 
JakeKx

JakeKx

All-Conference
Oct 5, 2023
1,008
1,892
112
Two things the new AD also needs to focus on is changing these horrible *** uniforms that were clearly designed by Mitch. Being the old logos back, especially the power K and scrap the stupid checkerboard or what’s left of it and the two birds going at it. This last decade has been embarrassing Jersey and logo wise.
 
T

TarHeelInCharlotte

Senior
Oct 23, 2025
412
542
93
Farsight Clone said:
J Batt was Michigan State's AD

He is apparently a master fundraiser

Not apart of Mitch's sphere of influence, fresh AD

Not sure where he stands on understanding that UK Basketball should be #1A and Football should be #1B
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Well he's a Tar Heel, so I suspect he knows the importance of basketball.

He was literally a student when Matt Doherty got fired.
 
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KentuckyFan1965

KentuckyFan1965

Senior
Jul 6, 2025
272
520
93
Jury still out on the one hand. On the other, he’s hopefully not connected to anything the Quaker wanted to do. Sounds like new blood but there’s plenty of proving to do. I’ll give it a C+ until I see more of him. I give MB an F on fan interaction. He’s just a snob bastard.
 
C

CameronCat22

Junior
Apr 12, 2026
291
312
63
DudahUK said:
Mitch was god awful. My mom worked with him. Couldn’t stand him and she’s the sweetest person in the world. Sometimes people know what they are talking about.

Don’t get my started on what she thinks about Eli.
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Matt Jones has complete control over the simple minds in BBN. I’m sure your mom thought Dr Capilouto was God awful and she couldn’t stand him either… because reasons. Always the vague accusations.
 
DudahUK

DudahUK

Heisman
Jul 23, 2020
7,856
12,283
113
CameronCat22 said:
Matt Jones has complete control over the simple minds in BBN. I’m sure your mom thought Dr Capilouto was God awful and she couldn’t stand him either… because reasons. Always the vague accusations.
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lol. Want me to call her and ask her? Sorry. They don’t live in my mind and I didn’t write it down at the time of the complaint. Sue me. I assume you are one of Mitch’s kids? Cause reasons. If he was doing so well? Why is the new AD making twice his salary? Cause of reasons?
 
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S

sk73

All-Conference
Feb 16, 2013
3,211
3,276
113
The only possible negative I see is that he enters the transfer portal a lot.
 
B

Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
42,621
64,899
113
DudahUK said:
Mitch was god awful. My mom worked with him. Couldn’t stand him and she’s the sweetest person in the world. Sometimes people know what they are talking about.

Don’t get my started on what she thinks about Eli.
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What was your mom’s job, if you can remember?
 
C

CameronCat22

Junior
Apr 12, 2026
291
312
63
DudahUK said:
lol. Want me to call her and ask her? Sorry. They don’t live in my mind and I didn’t write it down at the time of the complaint. Sue me. I assume you are one of Mitch’s kids? Cause reasons. If he was doing so well? Why is the new AD making twice his salary? Cause of reasons?
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No, but when people are assassinating the character of a man who isn’t here to defend himself, I prefer actual specifics instead of, “He was awful” and “She couldn’t stand him.”

Then again, making accusations and tearing people down without a single fact to back it up seems to be the culture of this board.

As for his salary, he’s making more because he’s serving as both the CEO of Champions Blue and the Athletics Director. That’s not exactly a secret. You should ask your mom about it since she supposedly worked on both the academic and athletic sides and seems to be your source for everything else.

 
Caintuk

Caintuk

Junior
Feb 25, 2010
277
348
31
JPFisher said:
Saying C until I understand the breadth of his work. Fundraising is one part of being an AD. He seems better for football than basketball from the get go, which is nice, but I don't want that to detract from the basketball program.

Some mixed opinions of his hires at Michigan State.

I think he can do well, but I'm in a wait-and-see pattern right now, so a C.
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I’m just glad Mitch is finally gone. On that issue alone, I would rate almost any replacement as a solid A. Too often these days, we jump too hard, too positive, too fast. I like the hire for sure and his credentials are solid…but let’s wait and see what we hope for is actually proven.
 
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CB3UK

CB3UK

Hall of Famer
Apr 15, 2012
64,353
107,221
78
I initially like it based on his time at Alabama and Georgia Tech, but I'll wait until we actually have actionable results to rate the guy. I have literally nothing to base my assessment of the guy on here other than what the media has fed us. He could be great. He could be terrible. He could be so-so.

I definitely like that he wasnt afraid to **** around and fire Collins and put Key in place at GT.
 
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B

Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
42,621
64,899
113
CB3UK said:
I initially like it based on his time at Alabama and Georgia Tech, but I'll wait until we actually have actionable results to rate the guy. I have literally nothing to base my assessment of the guy on here other than what the media has fed us. He could be great. He could be terrible. He could be so-so.

I definitely like that he wasnt afraid to **** around and fire Collins and put Key in place at GT.
Click to expand...
And was not afraid to hire Damon Stoudamire after firing Josh Pastner.
 
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