Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State football: Playing time odds for 2022 class defensive signees

By Emmett Matasovsky

Michigan State's head coach Mel Turner gives encouragement to players during football camp on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, on the MSU campus in East Lansing.210817 Msu Football Camp 121a
Michigan State's head coach Mel Turner gives encouragement to players during football camp on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, on the MSU campus in East Lansing.210817 Msu Football Camp 121a /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 12
Next
West Bloomfield running back Dillon Tatum practices Monday, Aug. 10, 2020.
West Bloomfield running back Dillon Tatum practices Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. /

Dillon Tatum, DB

DB room:

Losing: Spencer Rowland, CJ Hayes, Emmanuel Flowers
Returning (safety): Xavier Henderson, Angelo Grose, Darius Snow (moved to linebacker during first spring practice), Tate Hallock, A.J. Kirk
Returning (corners): Charles Brantley, Ronald Williams, Chester Kimbrough, Khary Crump, Marqui Lowery, Justin White, Kendell Brooks, Antoine Booth, Ameer Speed (transfer)
Bringing in: Jaden Mangham, Caleb Coley, Ade Willie, Malik Spencer, Quavian Carter, Malcolm Jones

Dillon Tatum (No. 269 nationally, No. 11 athlete) comes in as a highly-touted prospect. Tatum will have a lot of competition in training camp this year, as the Spartans lose only a handful of players, none of whom started.

Fortunately for Tatum, only a few spots are secured when we are talking about the worst pass defense unit (in yards per game) in the entire FBS last year. The fabled “No Fly Zone” was nowhere to be seen for most of the year.

Tatum could slot in at corner or safety for the Spartans. He is a projected safety, along with Mangham, Spencer, Carter, and Jones. With five safety signees, it would not shock me to see Tatum get a few looks at corner.

The Spartans are looking for their CB2, as they rotated through Kimbrough, Lowery, Brantley, and White throughout the 2021 season. Seeing that they are still looking, Tatum and Mangham should get a few looks here during spring camp. Ameer Speed, a Georgia transfer, will also be adding competition to this spot.

Tatum is an early enrollee and an exciting and intriguing player to watch. Stay tuned to Mel Tucker and defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton’s press conferences this year, I would be shocked if we go all 15 practices without hearing Tatum’s name mentioned a time or two.

Prediction

Solid playing time. Tatum comes into a defensive backfield that needs all the help it can get. Ronald Williams, Darius Snow, and Xavier Henderson are the only players who should experience little competition for their spots. Of those three, Williams and Henderson will be out of eligibility after this season. This, along with a full offseason, should lead to more playing time for Tatum as the season progresses.

Emmanuel Flowers started seeing the field a bit more in the last few games of the season, and he left this offseason to transfer. I expect Tatum, Mangham, and Kirk to compete for the rotational spots behind Henderson and Grose with Snow taking snaps at the slot.

Home/Spartans Football