University of Kentucky Athletics is adding another layer to its front office makeover.
Athletics director and Champions Blue CEO J. Batt is looking to hire an executive associate athletics director for player management, a role he said Thursday will factor into how Kentucky handles name, image and likeness and revenue sharing for student-athletes. Batt addressed the planned move during the Champions Blue Board of Governors meeting in Louisville.
“As we look at the continued evolution of student-athlete NIL and rev-share, one of the areas in which there is an opportunity to create competitive advantage is in both the construction of and the evaluation of those dollars,” Batt said.
The position is currently posted through the University of Kentucky, and Batt said the department is still searching for the right fit as it adjusts to college athletics’ changing financial structure.
The new hire would be part of the growing leadership framework around Champions Blue, the entity created to manage Kentucky Athletics’ business and commercial operations.
Batt has already brought Jon Palumbo onto that team. Palumbo was recently named executive deputy athletics director and deputy CEO of Champions Blue, taking over for Marc Hill, who had worked under former athletics director Mitch Barnhart before leaving Kentucky for BYU. In his new role, Palumbo will help steer Champions Blue’s continued growth and oversee strategic business initiatives for the department.
The changes reflect a broader shift in college sports, where NIL and revenue sharing are now central to roster management. Batt has made it clear Kentucky wants to sharpen its business side and find new revenue opportunities as it builds for what comes next.
The player-management position would add another executive focused on how those dollars are built, assessed and handled across UK Athletics.
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