June 3, 2025 • 8 mins
With Michigan State hiring a new athletic director in Georgia Tech's J Batt, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution joins the show to tell Spartans fans what they're getting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's pick it up with a guy who knows what
it takes to be a good athletic director, because Jason
Batton was just that at Georgia Tech, and Chad Bishop
of the Atlanta Journal Constitution followed him. Knows about his career,
knows about what he does best, and he joins us
here on exis and bros. Hey, Chad, we appreciate the
time this morning. I know you're busy. How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Oh? Absolutely, thanks for having me in. Good morning to
you all.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, good morning. What do you think that Jason Batton
did so well at Georgia Tech that probed Michigan State
into being him their next boss.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I would start with a few things. Number One, fundraising, Right,
it's all about money, especially in college athletics, and especially
this day and agent college athletics. And Jay Batten was
not only an excellent fundraiser in a traditional sense, but
really did a sort of a masterful job of thinking
outside the box. Case in point, moving the Georgia Georgia
(00:55):
Tech football game this upcoming season to Mercedes Benz Stadium
in Atlanta, which will give org Tech dollars Georgia Tech
ten million dollars in their pocket, striking a home and
home deal with Tennessee which is big for the brand,
renaming Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium Hondai Field, which
is a huge windfall of revenue coming in. So those
(01:15):
are a few things. And then number two, he's been
at the forefront and out front of some of this
revenue sharing and NIL things. You know, hiring JJ Kosh
to be sort of a general manager of the athletic
department to help deal with player agents and how to
split some of this this new money to some of
the players. That's been big. Jay has been on a
you know, a set house settlement committee to sort of
(01:39):
help structure how college athletics is going to handle sort
of all these new revenue sharing payments and some of
these NIL deals. So he's very proactive. He's not reactive
when it comes to those sort of things. He's very proactive.
So those have really sort of been his mo o
the past two and a half years here in Atlanta
is to really be at the forefront of raising funds
for tech and making sure they're well positioned to handle
(02:01):
what's next in college athletics.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, it's a really good answer. I think a lot
of people there's a misnomer out there. Well, these guys
got to be able to hire the right coaches. Fundraising
is probably their number one priority. And he did hire
two good coaches at Georgia Tech. But he comes to
Michigan State where the coaching situation is stable. Adam Nightingale's
a hell of a hockey coach, Tom is a Hall
of Fame basketball coach, and Jonathan Smith is relatively new
(02:26):
in his position and he has a very good resume.
How much do you think that helps him?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Oh? Yeah, I think it helps him a lot. If
we can speak to the Georgia Tech hires so far,
I think, you know, Jay Batt having only been at
Georgia Tech a couple of years, it will remain to
be seeing how his hires play out. You know, he
retained bran Key and Football, who was an interim coach
when Jay bag got here. And bran Key's gone seven
and six the past two seasons. But I think everybody
(02:51):
understands the trajectory of Georgia Tech football is on the rise.
Damon Stottamaira. We're going to do his third year of
basketball at Georgia Tech, and first two years they have
not made the tournament, but you know, you can see
the upper trajectory of those guys as well. And they
hired a new women's basketball coach about a month ago,
and Karen Blair, who came from Maryland. So really too
early to see how Jay Batt's coaching hires will play
(03:14):
out over the long term. But yeah, I think you're right.
We'll going to a place like Michigan State, who seems
relatively stable right for some of the major, big time
revenue sports. He'll be able to give those coaches the
resources they need. And I've always heard he's been a
great guy to work with in terms of talking to
coaches about what they need, how they can be successful,
how he can help you know where the money can
(03:36):
come from. So I think they'll really get to enjoy
their new relationships with Jay Batt.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Chad Bishop from the Atlanta Journal Constitution joining his Sharon
exes and bros. Follow him on Twitter at mister Chad Bishop.
He comes to Michigan State after what appeared to be
a pretty good contract there at Georgia Tech. He was
supposed to be there for a while and now he
comes to Michigan State, leaving Georgia Tech searching for yet
(04:03):
another athletic director. How does that sit with that fan base?
Do they see it as this is a promotion and
I don't blame you, or why are you turning your
back on us when you were expected to be here
long term?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I think Colum a and Colomby right like I you know,
Jay Bat's name was mentioned in searches Maryland and Missouri
and South Carolina, so you know, he's in his mid forties.
He's clearly a high rising, you know, very very talented
athletic director. So any real realist Georgia Tech fan is
going to understand, Okay, hey this guy, there's a good
(04:37):
chance he maybe out the door. Did they think it
would be this soon? Probably not. Do they think it
would be like somewhere like Michigan State. Probably not. And
that's just because you know, Jay is a Southern guy.
He worked at Alabama, he played soccer North Carolina. He's
from Charlottesville, Virginia, spent most of his time, you know,
in the South and on the East coast. So to
take a big ten job I think was probably a
(04:58):
little head scratching, in a little confusing for Georgia Tech fans.
But you know, I would say to that if you
look at sort of the landscape right now and how
the SEC and the Big Ten, especially in football have
sort of positioned themselves probably better for the future than
the ACC has that that maybe Jaybat is thinking, look,
I'm going to have a little bit more resources, maybe
things will be you know, quote unquote easier in East
(05:20):
Lansing than they are in a big city like Atlanta.
Trying to drum up funds and attention for Georgia Tech Athletics,
and obviously he's getting a huge pay raise, right and
any fan, you know, I always joke when fans get
upset when coaches or ads leave. I'm like, hey, man,
you probably would too if you were getting about a
million more bucks in your pocket. So I think the
trick will be for Georgia Tech and fans know this
(05:42):
to not screw up the next tire, right Like Jay
Bat got it up and rolling, and now you can't
mess up the guy who the man or woman who
comes to replace him.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I'm glad you brought that up. How do people down south?
And I suppose you can make the argument, Chad, that
it should be easier to drum up money in a
bigger city like Atlanta in a school that is so renowned,
especially for its academics, like Georgia Tech, but you go
to a Michigan State program where look, people view the
ACC fair or unfair. People view the ACC as a
(06:12):
basketball conference. The Big Ten is viewed, I think more
as both football and basketball. I don't think people down
south care that it's a hockey conference as well, But
I do wonder what the opinion of people down south
is of Midwest Big Ten schools, specifically of MSU. What
do you think they feel about him moving to East
(06:33):
Lansing and taking over the Spartans program.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Out Michigan State, then it would be the Big Ten.
And you know, I've seen the phrase lateral move out
there on social media, and I don't know if that's
you know, technically correct right. But but Georgia Tech really,
to me, is going to our Michigan State is going
to have maybe the same you know, issues that Georgia
Tech has. Georgia Tech has to try to be Georgia
(06:58):
and Clemson every year and football, and they got to
compete with all these SEC schools are surrounded by and
Jay bat Now with his football program is going to
have to try to beat Michigan in Ohio State, right,
and then the Organs of the world when it comes
to football basketball is probably not. Probably it's in a
way better spot at Michigan State than it is down
in Atlanta. I think what will be interesting to me
(07:20):
is you kind of touched on this is Jay Batt'll be.
You know, in Atlanta you have all these Fortune five
hundred companies, You have alums who are making a ton
of money because of the prestige of Georgia Tech academically.
Will that be the case of Michigan State? Will be
able to find as many people in the community, you know,
right who are willing to pay not only bucks, but
big time bucks to help support Michigan State athletics improve facilities,
(07:43):
you know, fun revenue sharing and nil and those sort
of things that'll That'll probably be you know, the biggest
thing that Jay bat has to worry about coming into
East Lansing in the Michigan area.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, and their facilities are fantastic. I guess some people
could argue Michigan State. I mean, they're not far removed
from a numb eleven to two campaign. So I don't
know who has suggested it's a lateral move. And this
is no disrespect to Georgia Tech, because I think it's
an awesome school and every time I visited there, I
(08:15):
love just about everything about it. But that issue, it's
not a lateral move at all. It's definitely a move up.
I mean Michigan State football, it is not far removed
from some really strong football seasons. In basketball a force
to be reckoned with, and back to back Big Ten
hockey championships. He's coming to a really good place. We
appreciate the time very much, Chad, I appreciate the insight.
All the best to you and yours. Have a great week.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Hey, thanks for having me.
Let's pick it up with a guy who knows what
it takes to be a good athletic director, because Jason
Batton was just that at Georgia Tech, and Chad Bishop
of the Atlanta Journal Constitution followed him. Knows about his career,
knows about what he does best, and he joins us
here on exis and bros. Hey, Chad, we appreciate the
time this morning. I know you're busy. How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Oh? Absolutely, thanks for having me in. Good morning to
you all.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, good morning. What do you think that Jason Batton
did so well at Georgia Tech that probed Michigan State
into being him their next boss.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I would start with a few things. Number One, fundraising, Right,
it's all about money, especially in college athletics, and especially
this day and agent college athletics. And Jay Batten was
not only an excellent fundraiser in a traditional sense, but
really did a sort of a masterful job of thinking
outside the box. Case in point, moving the Georgia Georgia
(00:55):
Tech football game this upcoming season to Mercedes Benz Stadium
in Atlanta, which will give org Tech dollars Georgia Tech
ten million dollars in their pocket, striking a home and
home deal with Tennessee which is big for the brand,
renaming Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium Hondai Field, which
is a huge windfall of revenue coming in. So those
(01:15):
are a few things. And then number two, he's been
at the forefront and out front of some of this
revenue sharing and NIL things. You know, hiring JJ Kosh
to be sort of a general manager of the athletic
department to help deal with player agents and how to
split some of this this new money to some of
the players. That's been big. Jay has been on a
you know, a set house settlement committee to sort of
(01:39):
help structure how college athletics is going to handle sort
of all these new revenue sharing payments and some of
these NIL deals. So he's very proactive. He's not reactive
when it comes to those sort of things. He's very proactive.
So those have really sort of been his mo o
the past two and a half years here in Atlanta
is to really be at the forefront of raising funds
for tech and making sure they're well positioned to handle
(02:01):
what's next in college athletics.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, it's a really good answer. I think a lot
of people there's a misnomer out there. Well, these guys
got to be able to hire the right coaches. Fundraising
is probably their number one priority. And he did hire
two good coaches at Georgia Tech. But he comes to
Michigan State where the coaching situation is stable. Adam Nightingale's
a hell of a hockey coach, Tom is a Hall
of Fame basketball coach, and Jonathan Smith is relatively new
(02:26):
in his position and he has a very good resume.
How much do you think that helps him?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Oh? Yeah, I think it helps him a lot. If
we can speak to the Georgia Tech hires so far,
I think, you know, Jay Batt having only been at
Georgia Tech a couple of years, it will remain to
be seeing how his hires play out. You know, he
retained bran Key and Football, who was an interim coach
when Jay bag got here. And bran Key's gone seven
and six the past two seasons. But I think everybody
(02:51):
understands the trajectory of Georgia Tech football is on the rise.
Damon Stottamaira. We're going to do his third year of
basketball at Georgia Tech, and first two years they have
not made the tournament, but you know, you can see
the upper trajectory of those guys as well. And they
hired a new women's basketball coach about a month ago,
and Karen Blair, who came from Maryland. So really too
early to see how Jay Batt's coaching hires will play
(03:14):
out over the long term. But yeah, I think you're right.
We'll going to a place like Michigan State, who seems
relatively stable right for some of the major, big time
revenue sports. He'll be able to give those coaches the
resources they need. And I've always heard he's been a
great guy to work with in terms of talking to
coaches about what they need, how they can be successful,
how he can help you know where the money can
(03:36):
come from. So I think they'll really get to enjoy
their new relationships with Jay Batt.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Chad Bishop from the Atlanta Journal Constitution joining his Sharon
exes and bros. Follow him on Twitter at mister Chad Bishop.
He comes to Michigan State after what appeared to be
a pretty good contract there at Georgia Tech. He was
supposed to be there for a while and now he
comes to Michigan State, leaving Georgia Tech searching for yet
(04:03):
another athletic director. How does that sit with that fan base?
Do they see it as this is a promotion and
I don't blame you, or why are you turning your
back on us when you were expected to be here
long term?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I think Colum a and Colomby right like I you know,
Jay Bat's name was mentioned in searches Maryland and Missouri
and South Carolina, so you know, he's in his mid forties.
He's clearly a high rising, you know, very very talented
athletic director. So any real realist Georgia Tech fan is
going to understand, Okay, hey this guy, there's a good
(04:37):
chance he maybe out the door. Did they think it
would be this soon? Probably not. Do they think it
would be like somewhere like Michigan State. Probably not. And
that's just because you know, Jay is a Southern guy.
He worked at Alabama, he played soccer North Carolina. He's
from Charlottesville, Virginia, spent most of his time, you know,
in the South and on the East coast. So to
take a big ten job I think was probably a
(04:58):
little head scratching, in a little confusing for Georgia Tech fans.
But you know, I would say to that if you
look at sort of the landscape right now and how
the SEC and the Big Ten, especially in football have
sort of positioned themselves probably better for the future than
the ACC has that that maybe Jaybat is thinking, look,
I'm going to have a little bit more resources, maybe
things will be you know, quote unquote easier in East
(05:20):
Lansing than they are in a big city like Atlanta.
Trying to drum up funds and attention for Georgia Tech Athletics,
and obviously he's getting a huge pay raise, right and
any fan, you know, I always joke when fans get
upset when coaches or ads leave. I'm like, hey, man,
you probably would too if you were getting about a
million more bucks in your pocket. So I think the
trick will be for Georgia Tech and fans know this
(05:42):
to not screw up the next tire, right Like Jay
Bat got it up and rolling, and now you can't
mess up the guy who the man or woman who
comes to replace him.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I'm glad you brought that up. How do people down south?
And I suppose you can make the argument, Chad, that
it should be easier to drum up money in a
bigger city like Atlanta in a school that is so renowned,
especially for its academics, like Georgia Tech, but you go
to a Michigan State program where look, people view the
ACC fair or unfair. People view the ACC as a
(06:12):
basketball conference. The Big Ten is viewed, I think more
as both football and basketball. I don't think people down
south care that it's a hockey conference as well, But
I do wonder what the opinion of people down south
is of Midwest Big Ten schools, specifically of MSU. What
do you think they feel about him moving to East
(06:33):
Lansing and taking over the Spartans program.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Out Michigan State, then it would be the Big Ten.
And you know, I've seen the phrase lateral move out
there on social media, and I don't know if that's
you know, technically correct right. But but Georgia Tech really,
to me, is going to our Michigan State is going
to have maybe the same you know, issues that Georgia
Tech has. Georgia Tech has to try to be Georgia
(06:58):
and Clemson every year and football, and they got to
compete with all these SEC schools are surrounded by and
Jay bat Now with his football program is going to
have to try to beat Michigan in Ohio State, right,
and then the Organs of the world when it comes
to football basketball is probably not. Probably it's in a
way better spot at Michigan State than it is down
in Atlanta. I think what will be interesting to me
(07:20):
is you kind of touched on this is Jay Batt'll be.
You know, in Atlanta you have all these Fortune five
hundred companies, You have alums who are making a ton
of money because of the prestige of Georgia Tech academically.
Will that be the case of Michigan State? Will be
able to find as many people in the community, you know,
right who are willing to pay not only bucks, but
big time bucks to help support Michigan State athletics improve facilities,
(07:43):
you know, fun revenue sharing and nil and those sort
of things that'll That'll probably be you know, the biggest
thing that Jay bat has to worry about coming into
East Lansing in the Michigan area.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, and their facilities are fantastic. I guess some people
could argue Michigan State. I mean, they're not far removed
from a numb eleven to two campaign. So I don't
know who has suggested it's a lateral move. And this
is no disrespect to Georgia Tech, because I think it's
an awesome school and every time I visited there, I
(08:15):
love just about everything about it. But that issue, it's
not a lateral move at all. It's definitely a move up.
I mean Michigan State football, it is not far removed
from some really strong football seasons. In basketball a force
to be reckoned with, and back to back Big Ten
hockey championships. He's coming to a really good place. We
appreciate the time very much, Chad, I appreciate the insight.
All the best to you and yours. Have a great week.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Hey, thanks for having me.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.