Ahmad Hardy's return appears to be imminent.
Hardy is expected to make his 2026 season debut against Arkansas this coming Saturday, Oct. 31, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a source familiar with the team's plans confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Thursday. ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported the news.
The All-American running back, who set Mizzou's single-season rushing record last season with 1,649 yards in 13 games, was not listed on Mizzou's SEC-mandated availability and injury reports on either Wednesday or Thursday night.
The team was seemingly told after practice Thursday to expect Hardy to return.
The question now is what Hardy's workload looks like as he makes his much-anticipated return after sustaining a gunshot wound to the thigh in May in Laurel, Mississippi. It's unclear whether he'll be on a pitch count in his first appearance since last December.

#thursday #return #arkansas #fayetteville

UCF starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III will miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury suffered late in the fourth quarter of the team's Sept. 12 loss at Pittsburgh, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Barnett sustained the injury scrambling away from pressure on the Knights' final offensive possession.
Keyone Jenkins entered for the final play and took a sack, sealing the Panthers' 12-7 win at Acrisure Stadium. Jenkins is in line to start against Georgia State at 7 p.m. Sept. 19.
Barnett completed 63.3% of his passes the first two weeks, throwing for 344 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.

#final

Arizona can start to build a convincing case as a Big 12 dark horse on Saturday in Provo, Utah, where it will take on No. 15 BYU. Aiming for a Week 2 upset, the Wildcats will reportedly have two familiar faces joining them on that quest.
The team is formally adding running back Ismail Mahdi and linebacker Max Harris — both of whom were starters on Arizona's 2025 squad — ahead of Saturday's conference tilt, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Friday.
Mahdi, the team's leading rusher a season ago, and Harris, the team's third-leading tackler last go-around, have been cleared for competition and are part of the traveling roster, per Thamel.
They are part of a group of athletes who were recently granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in Pima County Superior Court. So was kicker/punter Sullivan Moon, a transfer whom Arizona also added to the roster, per Thamel. Moon, though, reportedly won't be at BYU for Saturday's game.
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#thamel #arizona #reportedly

It's been six days since Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway suffered an ankle injury against Auburn.
Lagway got hurt in the first half of the game before returning with a lot of tape on his ankle. Lagway finished with 333 yards through the air, two touchdowns, and one interception.
MORE: Falcons announce injury update for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
He hoped to start against Prairie View this Saturday, but that won't happen. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Lagway is not expected to play, paving the way for junior quarterback Nate Bennett to start.
Lagway isn't expected to be out long-term.

#injury #start #baylor #falcons

Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway is not expected to play in the Bears' Week 2 game against Prairie View A&M, per multiple reports.
Lagway injured his ankle in Baylor's 17-16 loss to Auburn last week. He was noticeably hobbling at the end of the first half and had to be carried into the locker room by teammates. He returned to play in the second half with a heavily taped right ankle and finished the game, nearly leading the Bears to a last-minute win, however Baylor's 2-point attempt was stopped inches short of the goal line.
ESPN's Pete Thamel is reporting Nate Bennett will get the start in Lagway's place against the FCS Panthers in Waco on Saturday.
AI vs expert picks: Week 2 predictions, upsets, safest bets
Texas A&M, Oklahoma on upset alert? College football Week 2 bold predictions

#lagway #bears #play #baylor

There was some concern for Wisconsin's offensive line as it gets ready to face Notre Dame later today, and early Sunday morning Pete Thamel of ESPN gave a good and bad report for the Badgers.
The Irish most likely prepared to see both offensive lineman Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell, but the latter will not play. Wisconsin will be without Mandell, who started 12 games for them last year. As for Heywood, he got injured early during fall camp, had been seen in a walking boot, but will give it a go.
Notre Dame's defensive line has the potential to be one of the best in the country this season, and this isn't the best news for Wisconsin. For them to pull off another upset in Lambeau Field, they needed to be at full-strength, which clearly they won't be.
Expect the Irish to try and take full advantage of the Badgers new lineman, but since both players have been out, they most likely prepared for them to be out of this game. We'll soon see how big of an impact losing Mandell but having Heywood is for Wisconsin.
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#mandell #badgers

Why UNC football GM Michael Lombardi resigned less than 2 years after being hired by Bill Belichick originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick has made a massive change less than two years into his coaching tenure. On Thursday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Lombardi would be resigning from his position as UNC's general manager, effective immediately.
Lombardi has been placed on paid administrative leave since late July and has not been with the program since. He was still away from the team during UNC's Week Zero victory over TCU, a 15-10 win in Dublin, Ireland.
Per the school, Lombardi remains the subject of two investigations.
MORE: Can Bill Belichick cool his hot seat at UNC?

#belichick

Cutter Boley, a junior, will be Arizona State's starting quarterback, according to reports from ESPN's Pete Thamel. The Sun Devils open the season Saturday, Sept. 5, against the Morgan State Bears at Mountain America Stadium.
Head coach Kenny Dillingham is expected to address the media after practice on Saturday, Aug. 29.
ASU has four quarterbacks, with the battle coming down to Boley and sixth-year senior Mikey Keene, a local out of Chandler High School. The move had been trending that way, with Boley getting the first-team reps recently in practice.
Boley, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, is a transfer from Kentucky. He began the 2025 season as the backup to Incarnate Word transfer Zach Calzada, but took over the starting job three weeks into the season and ended up completing 65.8% of his passes for 2,160 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Boley was named the quarterback on the SEC's All-Freshman team.
His best outing of the season came in a loss to Tennessee in which he went 26-for-35 for 330 yards and five touchdowns with one interception in a 56-34 loss.

#season #practice #team

Week 0 is here, and the first game of the day will feature North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin, Ireland. Both programs will be down a few players, while the Tar Heels are without defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.
But the Horned Frogs will be without their star playmaker. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, WR Jordan Dwyer made the trip to Dublin, but he will be inactive for the game against the Tar Heels.
Dwyer, a former Idaho standout, transferred to TCU ahead of the 2025 season. With Josh Hoover throwing the football, who is now at Indiana, Dwyer was the No. 2 WR on TCU last season. He caught 54 passes for 730 yards and seven touchdowns.
MORE: Ranking every Week 0 college football game by watchability
Jul 8, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; TCU quarterback Jaden Craig speaks with reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

#dwyer #credit #imagn #images

The Big Ten is trying to control the chaos.
Via Pete Thamel of ESPN, the conference is expected to pass a rule on Tuesday barring anyone who has been on an NFL team from being on a Big Ten roster.
It's unclear whether the rule will be enforceable. If the players have secured an injunction that allows them to return to college for a year, collective action to ban them from a group of college programs would potentially amount to the same kind of antitrust violations that have created the current ripple effects.
Of course, the Big Ten may not care. With the return of NFL players to college programs instantly becoming a widely unpopular development, the dynamic becomes an opportunity to try to build more momentum to get the Protect College Sports Act passed — thereby giving the NCAA the antitrust exemption it craves, along with the ability to partially pick the pockets of players who have leveraged the reckoning into revenue that would otherwise go directly to the schools.
In other words, it's more performative than substantive. Like the outcry after Brendan Sorsby won an injunction to play at Texas Tech. People don't like the idea of NFL players returning to college programs (never mind the fact that Nick Saban invited former NFL players to practice with current Alabama players), and that disdain can be used to help the system get what it so badly wants.

#rule #injunction

Sometimes, when everyone is standing around and waiting for a leader to step up, it falls on you to become that leader.
The Big Ten took on that role Tuesday morning, reportedly coming together as a conference and planning to vote on a new rule that would block players who have declared for the NFL from returning to the college level for one more year of eligibility granted by the new "5-for-5" scholarship rule.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, any player who declared for the NFL draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster, or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big Ten roster.
This has been a major conversation over the past week after a temporary restraining order was granted for former college athletes who would have otherwise been granted an extra year of eligibility under the new scholarship rule, had it not been passed after they left for the NFL. We've seen players like Dae'Quan Wright, a former Ole Miss TE who signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent this summer, ask to be waived by the Browns so he could come back to school, enter the transfer portal, and join Lane Kiffin with the LSU Tigers.
Sources: The Big Ten is set to pass a rule today that doesn’t allow players to return from the NFL and play for a Big Ten school. Anyone who has declared for the NFL Draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big…

#granted

Duke football has named its starting quarterback for the 2026 season.
Walker Eget was named as the Blue Devils' starter on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The sixth-year San José State transfer won the starting job over redshirt freshman Dan Mahan.
ESPN's Pete Thamel was first to report the news, with a source confirming it to the Fayetteville Observer.
Eget brings two years of starting experience after five seasons at San José State. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound signal-caller out of Santa Clarita, California, threw for 5,563 yards and 30 touchdowns in 18 starts. He was named as one of six ACC quarterbacks to the 2026 Manning Award Preseason Watch List on Monday, Aug. 24.
Eget tore his ACL during the 2024 season and underwent surgery following the 2025 campaign. He missed Duke's spring practices while recovering and was cleared in time for fall camp.

#named #duke #walker #devils

Nebraska's season-opening opponent has announced its starting quarterback. Pete Thamel has reported that Ohio has named Nick Poulos the starter for the Bobcats' game against the Huskers in Lincoln.
This will be Poulos' first season as the starter after spending his last two seasons as a backup. In 12 games, he has thrown for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while completing only 45.6% of his passes.
The quarterback's legs will also be a factor in Ohio's spread option offense. He has also run for 184 yards and one touchdown in his career.
Ohio is coming off a 2025 season that saw the Bobcats finish with a 9-4 record and a victory over UNLV in the Frisco Bowl. The 2026 MAC coaches preseason poll picked Ohio to finish fourth with zero votes to win the MAC Championship.
Nebraska opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, when the Ohio Bobcats visit Memorial Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 11 a.m. CT and can be seen on FS1.

#starter #yards

Fresno State athletic director Garrett Klassy has signed a new five-year deal to stay with the Bulldogs, ESPN's Pete Thamel reports.
According to ESPN sources, Klassy's extension guarantees him a total salary of $2.9 million, which is among the largest guaranteed deals for an athletic director outside the Power Four conferences.
Klassy, who joined the Bulldogs in 2024, has led the school's move to the PAC-12, the hiring of head football coach Matt Entz and, lately, the historic sponsorship deal with The Wonderful Company.
Before Fresno State, Klassy was the Deputy Athletic Director at the University of Houston. As well as prior stints at the University of Nebraska, University of Oregon and University of Alabama.
FULL INTERVIEW: Fresno State Athletics Director Garret Klassy sat down with Action News for an exclusive interview as he wraps up year one leading the Bulldogs.

#klassy #bulldogs #Athletic

Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby reportedly suffered a bone bruise in his left knee during Monday's practice, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. The 21-year-old underwent testing on Tuesday after leaving Monday's practice with leg injury, according to Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods.com.
The 2025 All-SEC First-team selection started all 13 games for the Longhorns at left tackle last season. He is a vital piece of the Longhorns' offensive line serving as the blind side protector for quarterback Arch Manning.
Goosby, a 6-foot-7, 325 lbs. senior, has appeared in 30 career games, starting 15. He is a projected 2027 NFL first-round draft pick.
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Texas, ranked No. 5 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, opens its 2026 season on Sept. 5 at home against Texas State. The first big test of their season comes a week later when they welcome Ohio State to Texas Memorial Stadium.

#left

Purdue is reportedly turning to a sitting athletic director, and one with power conference experience, to lead its athletic department.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Purdue is targeting Rice's Tommy McClelland as its next athletic director. It has been expected that the university would introduced its new athletic director later this week in conjunction with the Board of Trustees' regular meeting.
McClelland has been at Rice since 2023, after serving as Vanderbilt athletic director from 2020-23. Prior to that, he served as Louisiana Tech AD from 2013-20.
McClelland rose to his first athletic director position, at McNeese State, at age 26
Athletic director Mike Bobinski announced in June he would retire on Dec. 31. He has served since Sept. 1, 2016, succeeding Morgan Burke's 23-year tenure. Before that, the athletic department had only two leaders in 50 years: George King (1971-92) and Guy "Red" Macket (1942-71).

#pete #thamel

North Carolina isn't saying much about UNC football G.M. Michael Lombardi, who has been placed on paid administrative leave. Lombardi had something to say on Friday night, via his attorney.
"Michael hasn't been told anything about the nature of UNC's investigation and welcomes the opportunity to clear his name, which has already been sullied by baseless statements and innuendo on social media," lawyer Tom Mars said, via Pete Thamel of ESPN. "He is fully cooperating with UNC and expects the investigation will be swift, thorough, and fair. Michael would ask that people have the decency to let the process run its course before jumping to any conclusions about the nature of the investigation or whether there's any merit to whatever has been alleged."
North Carolina has said that it is investigating "allegations" regarding Lombardi. Thamel reported on Monday that the situation "stems from a human resources complaint filed by a former UNC front office employee."
It's not unusual for the subject of an investigation to know nothing in the early stages. In many cases, the employer speaks to the person against whom accusations are made as the last step, after all other relevant information is gathered. When UNC interviews Lombardi, he'll get an idea pretty quickly as to what it's about.
For now, he's still getting paid. He's just not working. Whether he returns depends on the outcome of the investigation.

#carolina #whether #paid

Minnesota Vikings rookie defensive tackle Caleb Banks has yet to take an NFL snap, and he’s already on bust watch. That’s the verdict, according to Bleacher Report, which predicted one bust from each team this week.
Banks is on track to be ready for training camp after a foot injury at the NFL Combine, but that apparently doesn’t matter to Moe Moton.
BR on Banks as a Bust
It was Banks as a bust per Moton’s determination, and he explained, “According to The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler, Caleb Banks broke his foot at the NFL Scouting Combine and was expected to be out until June.”
“ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that teams received a letter with confirmation of that recovery timeline. The Minnesota Vikings selected Banks with the No. 18 overall pick in the draft, and he’s yet to participate in practice.”

Mike Boynton Jr. has added some head coaching experience to his Michigan staff.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Monday afternoon that the Wolverines are hiring Brown coach Mike Martin as an ****** istant. Martin, who is 44, has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2012 and holds a 171-202 record.
He did not lead the Bears to an NCAA tournament bid in his 13 seasons in Providence, though he did turn in five winning seasons and led Brown to a CIT bid in 2014 and a CBI bid in 2019. That season, he was also named the Ivy League's Coach of the Year.
Now, he'll provide some experience on staff for Boynton, who enters his first season as head coach after he was elevated following Dusty May's departure. Boynton managed to maintain nearly all of Michigan's roster despite the June coaching change, and now, he's shoring up his new staff.
The Wolverines retained much of their staff but saw some key changes. ****** istant Justin Joyner became the head coach at Oregon State, while Drew Williamson followed May to Dallas as an ****** istant. Akeem Miskdeen is still listed as a member of the Wolverines coaching staff, as is general manager Kyle Church.

Michigan basketball continues to receive encouraging news as it prepares for life after Dusty May.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Brandon McCoy Jr., who is the No. 10 recruit in the nation, has decided to remain with the Wolverines, giving interim head coach Mike Boynton another major offseason victory.
“Brandon McCoy Jr. is staying at Michigan, per ESPN sources,” Thamel posted on social media. “The momentum continues for Mike Boynton keeping together what’s regarded as a Top 5 roster for 2026-27.”
McCoy’s decision is another significant development for a program that faced uncertainty following May’s departure to become the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
Instead of watching players leave through the transfer portal, Michigan has seen several key contributors and highly regarded newcomers publicly reaffirm their commitment to the program.

Michigan basketball is reportedly retaining a big transfer.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella plans on staying with Michigan next season despite the departure of former U-M coach Dusty May. Per Thamel, Estrella "quickly bonded" with U-M interim coach Mike Boynton, whom the University officially appointed as the interim on June 23.
Estrella's re-commitment follows that of 7-foot-2 Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam, who according to On3's Joe Tipton said he would stay in Michigan on June 30.

Michigan basketball is reportedly retaining a big transfer.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella plans on staying with Michigan next season despite the departure of former U-M coach Dusty May. Per Thamel, Estrella "quickly bonded" with U-M interim coach Mike Boynton, whom the University officially appointed as the interim on June 23.
Estrella's re-commitment follows that of 7-foot-2 Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam, who according to On3's Joe Tipton said he would stay in Michigan on June 30.
Estrella averaged 10 points and 5.4 rebounds per game over 33 games as a junior with Tennessee in 2025-26, spending his first three seasons in Knoxville before transferring to Michigan. He and Thiam were part of a three-person transfer class brought in by May following the Wolverines' national championship in April.
But with May leaving for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, it opened an opportunity for Michigan players to transfer elsewhere. So far, however, Michigan has gotten further commitments from many of its most important players, including senior point guard Elliot Cadeau and sophomore shooting guard Trey McKenney.

The Ohio State Department of Athletics continues to be ahead of the curve in the ever-changing landscape of college sports, and namely, big-time college football. On Tuesday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the Buckeyes are hiring former NFL scout Andy Howell as a college scout.
Howell is an Ohio native and has extensive experience in the NFL with player identification and development. He graduated from Ohio University in Athens with a sports management degree and helped out as an ****** istant on the Bobcats football staff before moving to the NFL, where he worked for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. He was most recently in Miami for a decade working as a scout.
The move appears to be targeted towards Name, Image and Likeness and the increased need for roster management, including player retention and attraction, because of the heavy usage of the transfer portal these days. It sure feels like a good fit.
Ohio State has been one of the best in the business at getting ahead of these types of things. You can either embrace and adjust or fall behind, and the OSU staff is doing the former once again.
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After an extensive search, the Wisconsin Badgers have reportedly found their new Athletic Director. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Wisconsin is set to hire Texas Longhorns Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Operating Officer Shawn Eichorst as its next Athletic Director, replacing the departed Chris McIntosh.
Eichorst, a Wisconsin native, graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater back in 1990 and then went on to earn his law degree from Marquette in 1995. His administrative career began at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he was the Athletic Director from 1999-2003.
Following a successful stint there, Eichorst moved on to be the Senior ***** ociate Athletic Director at South Carolina from 2004-06 before moving back home and taking a job with the Wisconsin Badgers. Eichorst was hired to the same role at Wisconsin in 2006 and was promoted to Executive ***** ociate Athletic Director in 2007. Two years later, he earned another promotion with the Badgers front office, being named the Deputy Athletic Director in 2009.
In 2011, he got his first shot as an Athletic Director at a power conference school, being hired for the job by the Miami Hurricanes . However, amid ongoing NCAA investigations, Eichorst quickly left for a better opportunity, as he was hired as the Athletic Director for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2013.
He remained in that role until 2017, when he was fired during the middle of the football season by University Chancellor Ronnie Green. At Nebraska, Eichorst's major move had been to fire head coach Bo Pelini and replace him with Mike Riley, which ultimately led to his demise.

After winning a national championship this past season, Michigan basketball will be starting over.
On Monday, coach Dusty May accepted a position as the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, as was first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel. May was rumored to be interested in NBA openings earlier in the offseason, and now, the Wolverines will have to replace him in June.
The 49-year-old May is 64-13 in two seasons at Michigan, leading the program to the Sweet 16 in Year 1 before this past campaign's 37-3 finish, which resulted in a national **** le. He previously spent six seasons at Florida Atlantic, where he led the program on a Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2023.
May will replace Jason Kidd and will now get the opportunity to coach Cooper Flagg, whom the Mavericks took with the first overall pick last offseason. The former Duke star is the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year.
For Michigan, there will be five days before the 15-day transfer portal window opens once May's hiring is officially announced. Whether the Wolverines opt for an internal promotion in former Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton or an outside hire, they are likely to move quickly to find May's replacement this late in the offseason.

Just months after cutting down the nets as national champions, Michigan basketball is facing a stunning reality.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Adam Schefter, and Shams Charania, Michigan head coach Dusty May is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, ending a remarkable two-year run in Ann Arbor and sending shockwaves through both college basketball and the NBA.
The move comes after May guided the Wolverines to the 2026 national championship, making him one of the most sought-after coaches in basketball.
May arrived at Michigan ahead of the 2024-25 season and wasted little time restoring the program to national prominence.
In just two seasons, he compiled a 64-13 record and delivered the school’s first national championship since 1989. His up-tempo style, player development, and ability to build culture quickly transformed Michigan into one of the nation’s premier programs.

Brendan Sorsby's college football career has come to an end.
The Texas Tech quarterback parted ways with the Red Raiders on Monday and will declare for the NFL supplemental draft. Sorsby admitted to sports betting over four years during his college career, including placing bets on his own team during his time at Indiana.
Now, Sorsby's future is in the hands of the 32 NFL franchises. While Sorsby certainly carries some baggage and could face suspension from the NFL, ESPN's Pete Thamel expects a team will take a fairly aggressive shot at him.
During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Thamel said the buzz around the league is that a team is likely to use a second-round pick on Sorsby, who was viewed as a potential 2026 draft prospect before he opted to transfer to Texas Tech for a fifth season.
"The vibe around the league that I've gotten is that someone's likely going to use a second-round pick on him," Thamel said. "Don't be surprised if this position gets overvalued if the background stuff clears, because the talent is clearly the talent."

East Lansing — Michigan State needs a new athletic director. Again.
After losing President Kevin Guskiewicz to Clemson in May, Michigan State lost athletic director J Batt to Kentucky on Monday. The move comes only a year after the Spartans hired the 44-year-old away from Georgia Tech, and it leaves a significant hole at the top of MSU’s athletics department.
Saturday afternoon, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Batt had emerged as a frontrunner for the Kentucky job left vacant by the retirement of Mitch Barnhart. It took Kentucky another two days to negotiate Batt’s departure from East Lansing.
Michigan State has not yet named an interim athletic director.
Thamel reported Monday Batt and Kentucky finalized a six-year deal to be the school’s athletic director. Batt will also serve as CEO of Champions Blue, Kentucky’s for-profit LLC.

Michigan State is now officially in need of a new athletic director.
The news broke on Saturday afternoon that Spartans athletic director J Batt was the lead target for the same position at Kentucky, and on Monday morning Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that a deal has been finalized. According to Thamel, Batt has finalized a 6-year deal to make him Kentucky’s next Athletic Director and CEO of Champions Blue, the school’s for-profit LLC.
The news of Batt's departure has not been officially announced by either Kentucky, Michigan State or Batt himself. But with a report like this from Thamel, we can treat this as a done deal and the Spartans back on the market for a new athletic director.
Batt was officially hired by Michigan State to replace Alan Haller as the athletic director last June. In a short time as the Spartans' athletic director, Batt has helped found Spartan Ventures to transform that athletic department’s fundraising and also replaced Jonathan Smith with Pat Fitzgerald as the head football coach.
Losing Batt to Kentucky is a tough blow for the Spartans as they try to find a source of stability at the top of their athletics department. Michigan State will now be in search of its third athletic director in less than two years, and hopefully this time they'll land someone who'll be there for the long haul.