Dillon Tatum Breaks Down Notre Dame, Other Finalists

Michigan athlete Dillon Tatum explained to Irish Breakdown why Notre Dame was among his four finalists

Notre Dame landed in the final four of 2022 West Bloomfield (Mich.) High School athlete Dillon Tatum along with Michigan, Michigan State and Baylor. Tatum, who checks in at 5-11 and 190 pounds, played both running back and safety for the Lakers last season, and he's being recruited to the Fighting Irish as a defensive back prospect.

Tatum plans to announce his commitment in April, so it made sense to trim his list from 32 offers to four main schools at this time. Irish Breakdown caught up with the speedy four-star prospect to find out why each school made his final group.

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Notre Dame: “With Notre Dame, I think with them I feel like they're just a really great program. I talked to Coach [Mike] Mickens last year, and he said, 'I want you at corner, at safety and even maybe nickel.' I met Coach [Lance] Taylor in person before the shutdown happened when we were traveling, making rounds around the country. Most of these programs that are in the top four, I've met them in person and built a really good relationship.”

Michigan State: “The Spartans, they are a program that I met before the shutdown happened. Ever since they offered me during my sophomore season when they first got to Michigan State, it's been an amazing connection. We grew together. We learned about each other, and it's just a really long-term relationship. I feel like I could make a really good impact at Michigan State.”

Michigan: “I've known the Wolverines staff since ninth grade year. This year, they made some changes to the staff, trying some new guys that I had not heard of before they got to Michigan, so with them I still built a relationship with the newer guys. Coach [Ron] Bellamy is there, who is the safeties coach, so he would be a part of coaching me where I would be if I were to go to the University of Michigan.”

Baylor: “I feel like the relationship I've built with those guys has been pretty good. I feel like I could make a pretty good impact at Baylor University. I think Coach Dave Aranda is a great defensive coach and if I go there in college, it would set me up better to make it to the NFL.”

Out of those four programs, Tatum has only had a chance to visit Michigan and Michigan State, so the two in-state schools have a decided advantage in that respect. Tatum has participated in Zoom calls with both Baylor and Notre Dame, but it is difficult to replace the feeling that a prospect receives when physically on a school's campus.

In addition to that facet, Tatum's former head coach at West Bloomfield, Ron Bellamy, is now the safeties coach at Michigan. The Wolverines have done a quality job of recruiting at the in-state high school of late, most notably by signing standout 2021 running back Donovan Edwards in the most recent recruiting class.

These factors certainly do not work in Notre Dame's favor, and Tatum also mentioned that he doesn't hear from the Fighting Irish staff as much as the other three schools in his final group, but he did stress the longstanding connection that he has with the coaching staff. So, it would be wise to keep expectations tempered when he announces his decision next month.

But in in the meantime, Tatum is staying busy during the offseason to take his on-field performance to the next level by running indoor track and participating in 7-on-7 tournaments with Max Ex. Tatum feels that it's beneficial to play with other highly ranked prospects during this time because it will prepare him for football at the next level wherever he decides to go. 

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