Michigan Visit Sticks Out As Most Memorable For Four-Star Dillon Tatum

After taking numerous visits to both Michigan and Michigan State a year ago, big time in-state recruit Dillon Tatum spoke about which trip was the most notable.

Dillon Tatum / submitted

At West Bloomfield (Mich.) High, the Lakers have the top running back room in the entire state with 2021 four-star Donovan Edwards and 2022 four-star Dillon Tatum splitting time. Last year, Edwards was a known commodity as an explosive back who can do a bit of everything, and Tatum broke onto the scene, showing that he is just as versatile and can make plays on both sides of the ball.

“Everyday at practice, it's competitive,” Tatum told Wolverine Digest. “I really like that about our practices. We really compliment each other really well, but it's like a competition. Each one of us, we never give each other that win. We both want to win so much that we make each other work even harder.”

With over 30 offers from programs such as Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, USC and Wisconsin, Tatum is receiving interest from the upper echelon of the college football world. However, there is not yet a consensus on what position Tatum will assume at the next level as he is also an accomplished defensive back that also spent time at nickel and Viper.

“Right now, it has changed to 50% of my offers are really athlete offers and 25% are running back and 25% are defensive back,” Tatum said.

From a purely athletic standpoint, Tatum is as quick and agile as any player in his class, but it is his positional flexibility that make him a top priority recruit for so many teams. Though the summer included a recruiting dead period, the four-star prospect has done his best to maintain a bond with the coaches who are recruiting him.

Once visits are back on the table after September, Tatum is hoping to make trips to Penn State, Notre Dame, LSU, Oregon, Arizona State, Florid and Florida State. Now, Michigan and Michigan State are recruiting Tatum as hard as any school, but those two did not make the list because he was a familiar face on each of their campuses last fall.

“Last season, I took four visits to each of them,” Tatum said. “I would say them on the list, but I'm thinking trips out of state to go to these schools. One day, I took a visit to Michigan and Michigan State in the same day. I can't remember who Michigan State played, but we left Michigan State and drove down to Ann Arbor and watched the Notre Dame game. We visited both of those schools in the same day.”

And though the highly coveted in-state prospect spent times at both locations, the Michigan game really sticks out in his mind as the Wolverines managed a 45-14 win over the Fighting Irish in a downpour.

“At the beginning of the game, we walked on the field and we walked around to the third or fourth row of the stands, but it was basically like on the sidelines,” Tatum said. “It was lit. I don't think I've ever been to a game like that. The atmosphere was so tough and just very exciting. It makes you want to play in that game. I really enjoyed that game.”

At this point, a decision seems pretty far off for Tatum, and the main priority in his mind is the completion of his junior season. If and when that does happen this spring, the Michigan target mentioned that he is aiming for over 1,000 yards rushing and 50 tackles on defense. High marks to be sure, but attainable based on all the work Tatum has put in.

Do you think Michigan has a chance to land both Dillon Tatum and Donovan Edwards in back to back years? What are your thoughts? Let us know!