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Georgia Tech hires Alabama’s J Batt as athletic director

AP photo by Brynn Anderson / Georgia Tech cheerleaders ride the Ramblin' Wreck onto the field before a Sept. 10 football game against Western Carolina in Atlanta. Tech has hired University of Alabama athletic department administrator J Batt as its athletic director, putting him in charge of the search for a replacement for Geoff Collins, who was fired as football coach last month.
AP photo by Brynn Anderson / Georgia Tech cheerleaders ride the Ramblin' Wreck onto the field before a Sept. 10 football game against Western Carolina in Atlanta. Tech has hired University of Alabama athletic department administrator J Batt as its athletic director, putting him in charge of the search for a replacement for Geoff Collins, who was fired as football coach last month. AP photo by Brynn Anderson / Georgia Tech cheerleaders ride the Ramblin' Wreck onto the field before a Sept. 10 football game against Western Carolina in Atlanta. Tech has hired University of Alabama athletic department administrator J Batt as its athletic director, putting him in charge of the search for a replacement for Geoff Collins, who was fired as football coach last month.

By PAUL NEWBERRY / The Associated Press 4 min read

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech announced Friday that it has hired J Batt as its athletic director, putting him in charge of the search for a new football coach.

Batt, an administrator for the University of Alabama’s athletic department since 2017, replaces Todd Stansbury, who was fired Sept. 26, along with football coach Geoff Collins after the Yellow Jackets started 1-3 in his fourth season leading the team.

Collins finished with an overall record of 10-28, the worst winning percentage (.263) of any full-time coach in the program’s history. His lack of success also took down Stansbury, who hired Collins in December 2018 and steadfastly stood by him even as fans and big-money boosters increasingly expressed their discontent.

Batt was executive deputy AD at Alabama, and also served as chief operating officer and chief revenue officer under AD Greg Byrne. Batt’s time with the Jackets will begin Oct. 24.

“I look forward to working with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, supporters, and fans to reach new heights, on and off the field, and to build on the rich tradition and history of this storied athletics department,” the 40-year-old said in a Tech release announcing the move.