Ryan Alpert hired as new Georgia Tech Athletic Director

J Batt’s successor makes the quick drive down from Knoxville

Initially reported today by Pete Thamel of ESPN, Georgia Tech has hired Tennessee’s now former Deputy Athletic Director, Ryan Alpert, to become our new Vice President and Director of Athletics, a top target for the job. Alpert succeeds J Batt, who along with recent interim AD Jon Palumbo was hired by Michigan State for the same roles they occupied at GT.

“Today’s announcement is a reflection of Georgia Tech’s commitment to elevating the competitive profile of our athletic programs on par with our academic profile,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera in a press release.

His initial contract will be for five years, according to Thamel.

Alpert comes to continue what J Batt got off the ground: fundraise like there’s no tomorrow. Alpert has done just that having increasing Tennessee’s revenue by over $100M since 2022, according to Tech’s press release. Alpert also has served in development roles at Missouri, Florida Atlantic, and Memphis.

Overall, this is the ideal hire knowing who all was available for the position. Alpert was the kind of guy ready to make the leap to an AD position, and he finds a great opportunity this year at Tech to continue on the newfound financial progress created by Batt.

What does this mean in the immediate future for Tech? For one, Tech indicated that after scheduling Tennessee in football to replace the Georgia State game in 2026 (RIP Marta Bowl), more scheduling announcements in that same vein would come. With Batt gone, who knows if that will still be a priority as Tech fills in its 2028 and beyond non-conference schedules.

As we head toward the next big inflection point in college athletics in 2030 (TV deals shakeups and buyouts become far more feasible then), Alpert becomes one of the most important people on Tech’s campus to ensure Tech is not left behind in whatever the next landscape of college athletics looks like.

Coincidentally, Tech Volleyball’s 2025 comes against Tennessee in the new ACC/SEC Challenge.

Alpert’s introductory press conference will be next Wednesday, July 16 in McCamish Pavilion.

How do you all feel about the hire? Let us know! We will record our next episode of Scions of the Southland in the next few days to fully flesh out our thoughts on Alpert.