After being in the transfer portal for a couple of weeks, former Michigan State defensive back Dillon Tatum heard from a plethora of programs. According to his own X account, he heard from 60 programs after hitting the portal.
That's what you call drawing some major interest.
It's not shocking to hear, however, as Tatum was once a starter for Michigan State's defense and arguably the most consistent defensive back for the Spartans in 2023. He missed pretty much the entire 2024 season with an injury and that may have caused him to lose a step or fall behind on the depth chart so he hit the portal after spring ball.
On Saturday, he announced that he'd be staying in the Big Ten for his final season.
Go ‘Cats
— Dillon Tatum ¹ᵏ (@thegovernor_1k) May 3, 2025
Chicago’s Big Ten Team #BIG pic.twitter.com/QN1dtNl6PL
Tatum, a potential All-Big Ten talent, will play his final season at Northwestern which is a decent spot for him because he'll likely be one of the top defensive backs on the roster and he's likely guaranteed a spot in that starting lineup.
This feels like a departure from Michigan State that was agreed upon by both sides and, by all accounts, Tatum is thankful for his time in East Lansing and just graduated on Friday.
First off I’d like to thank god for the blessing that came from this new beginning. To all of the 60 programs that reached out to recruit me thank you so much for believing in me. Also I graduated yesterday as a SPARTAN! That being said….. pic.twitter.com/a66Moq62oc
— Dillon Tatum ¹ᵏ (@thegovernor_1k) May 3, 2025
The way he said he graduated as a Spartan shows that he's proud to be ending his academic career at Michigan State and he's excited about his future. He's been nothing but great with fans and teammates during his time and now he'll get a chance to further prove himself on the field at Northwestern.
I don't know about you, but seeing Tatum in purple and white is going to take some getting used to.