EAST LANSING, Mich. — J Batt said Michigan State has a top-10 athletic department in the country.

The school’s next athletic director made it clear that the football program must lead the way to make his statement ring true.

The Spartans have been shaky in recent years in the sport that pays the bills in college athletics, losing seven games last year in coach Jonathan Smith’s debut season.

“It comes down to resources and across the board, we will provide him and his staff with resources,” Batt said Wednesday when he was formally introduced.

Batt left Georgia Tech, where he was its athletic director since the fall of 2022, to take on the challenge of raising money and turning around a football program in the highly competitive Big Ten.

The university’s Board of Trustees, which approved the selection, is scheduled to vote on Batt’s hiring on June 13 and his first day on the job is June 16. Batt replaces Alan Haller, whose last day was May 11.

Batt helped Georgia Tech bounce back in football.

He hired coach Brent Key, who led the program to consecutive bowl games for the first time in a decade and earned a spot in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in nine years.

In Batt’s first season at Georgia Tech, 14 of 17 teams were in a postseason tournament.

Before leading Georgia Tech’s athletic department, he was executive deputy athletic director at Alabama and served as chief operating officer and chief revenue officer in the athletic department.

Izzo reached out to his friend, former Alabama and Michigan State coach Nick Saban, as part of the school’s search.

“Nick had great comments about him,” Izzo said.

Batt recalled Saban speaking so fondly about Michigan State.

“He’s always been so positive about this place,” Batt said.

Batt also worked in athletics at East Carolina, Maryland, James Madison, William & Mary and North Carolina, where he played on the 2011 national championship soccer team.

Batt is regarded as a strong fundraiser, an asset for any athletic department in this era of college athletics.

At Michigan State, his top priorities will be to raise money and help the football program win.

Universities will be allowed to share up to $20.5 million in revenue with athletes next year. Direct payments will be in addition to third-party name, image and likeness deals facilitated by school-affiliated collectives.

“We’re going to be extremely successful and competitive in that space,” Batt said.

Villanova football will leave the Coastal Athletic Association following this season and join the Patriot League in 2026, the conferences announced Thursday.

The Wildcats are the third team to join the Patriot League as football associate members since May 2024, joining former conference rivals Richmond and William & Mary.

“The addition of Villanova as our tenth football member represents a significant and exciting moment for the Patriot League,” Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel said in a statement. “Villanova has consistently demonstrated excellence on the field, establishing itself as a premier FCS football program while also upholding a strong commitment to academic achievement. Combined with the recent additions of Richmond and William & Mary and the continued strength of our current members, this expansion solidifies the Patriot League’s standing as one of the strongest in the FCS.”

Villanova will join Patriot League charter members Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh, along with associate members Fordham, Georgetown, Richmond and William & Mary.

CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said Villanova’s move is “disappointing,” but “has become an unfortunate part of the landscape of college athletics during a period of unprecedented change.”

“The administrators, coaches and student-athletes in the CAA remain committed to competing at the highest level of FCS football, achieving multiple playoff bids on a yearly basis and contending for national championships,” D’Antonio said in a statement. “The CAA has a long history of excellence in FCS football and the desire to build on that tradition has never been stronger.”

The Patriot League will continue to feature a full conference schedule to determine the league champion and automatic bid to the NCAA DI FCS Championship when the conference expands to 10 teams in 2026.

With the expanded membership beginning in 2026, eight of the 10 programs have finished ranked in the Stats Perform and AFCA FCS Coaches Poll since 2015. During that span, the 10 programs have combined to win 17 games in the FCS Playoffs, advancing to the quarterfinal round eight times, including two apiece by Colgate, Richmond and Villanova. Holy Cross and William & Mary have both advanced to the quarterfinals once.

“We are excited to join a conference where the member institutions share similar values, both athletically and academically,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said in a statement. “The geographic alignment makes sense for our program and our student-athletes, and we believe this move will foster strong regional rivalries while maintaining our commitment to excellence on and off the field. It’s a natural fit that positions us well for the future.”

Michigan has extended an offer to class of 2027 safety Charles Woodson Jr., opening its recruitment of the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Wolverines 1997 Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson.

Woodson Jr., a 5-foot-11, 160-pound defensive back from Orlando, Florida, announced his Michigan offer via social media Wednesday.

Blessed to receive an offer from Michigan!!!! @CoachLMorgan @UMichFootball @CharlesWoodson @SWiltfong_ @JohnGarcia_Jr @LNLionsFootball pic.twitter.com/R0bOeKhwNB

— Charles Woodson Jr (@2Charleswoodson) June 4, 2025

Not currently rated in ESPN’s rankings for the 2027 class, Woodson will enter his junior season at Lake Nona (Florida) High School this fall. Along with the Wolverines, he holds offers from Florida State, Iowa State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Syracuse and Texas A&M, among others.

A high-potential prospect, Woodson carries strong family ties to Michigan, where his father starred as a three-way player from 1995 to 1997.

The elder Woodson was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and two-time All-American across three seasons with the Wolverines, exploding in his junior season when he helped lead Michigan to the 1997 national title and became the first defensive player in college history to win the Heisman Trophy.

Woodson was later selected with the fourth pick in the 1998 NFL draft before embarking on an 18-year NFL career with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers from 1998 to 2015. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Woodson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

The younger Woodson earned varsity snaps as a freshman at Lake Nona in 2023, and during his sophomore season last fall broke out for 53 tackles with two pass breakups and an interception. Woodson camped with Michigan each of the past two summers prior to receiving his offer.

As things stand, the Wolverines do not hold any commitments in the 2027 class. Led by four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel (No. 44 overall), Michigan currently holds three pledges from the 2026 ESPN 300 and seven overall commitments in the 2026 class.