Jonathan Smith provides an injury update following the Spartans’ season-opener vs. FAU
Michigan State football will be without a trio of key contributors for most of the season following injuries in the opener.
New head coach Jonathan Smith met with the media on Monday and stated safeties Dillon Tatum and Khalil Majeed are out “long-term” with lower body injuries. Additionally, wide receiver Alante Brown will be out until “roughly November” with an upper-body injury.
All three experienced injuries in the Spartans’ season-opening win over Florida Atlantic last week.
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A key MSU defender was spotted using crutches and wearing a knee brace:
The Michigan State football defense may have taken a big blow during their opening matchup against Florida Atlantic on Friday night.
Junior defensive back Dillon Tatum was spotted in a knee brace and using crutches during the MSU second half. Unfortunately a play on the sidelines looked to have injured the Spartans DB.
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Blue Adams had a good remark about Dillon Tatum’s new position:
Dillon Tatum was a prized four-star recruit for Michigan State football at one time, and now, he is going to be a new cog on the Spartans defense in 2024.
Tatum started as a hybrid linebacker and safety, before moving to cornerback last season. Now, it is expected that Tatum is going to play a new position in the defensive backfield, presumably safety.
When secondary coach Blue Adams spoke to the media on Thursday, he was asked on Tatum’s position, he had a great response.
“I think he is a DB.”
Michigan State Secondary coach Blue Adams when asked what position Junior Dillon Tatum will play..
Adams response shows that the Spartans plan to use Tatum in a Swiss-army knife role on their defense which could be beneficial to MSU’s defensive efforts.
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One of Michigan State football’s top defensive players has signed a new NIL deal
One of Michigan State football’s top defensive players has signed a new NIL deal.
Dillon Tatum has signed a NIL deal with Mike Morse Law Firm — which is a Michigan-based Law Firm in the Metro Detroit area. According to a tweet from Mike Morse Law Firm, the NIL deal with Tatum is part of an ongoing partnership “that features a diverse group of Metro Detroit athletes who specialize in a diverse field of athletic excellence.”
Tatum is from Farmington Hills, Mich. and is a perfect candidate for the NIL program Mike Morse Law Firm is building up. Details of the NIL deal have not been released at this time.
We’re thrilled to introduce you to @MSU_Football Defensive Back and Farmington Hills native, Dillon Tatum!@thegovernor_1k is part of our ongoing NIL partnership that features a diverse group of Metro Detroit athletes who specialize in a diverse field of athletic excellence. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/yrzNRcLMXr
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Dillon Tatum indicates that MSU had some players last year who were just there to ‘chase a bag’
Last year was a snake-bit season for Michigan State football for many obvious reasons, with the most obvious being the lack of a head coach. But it seems like MSU also had some culture issues behind the scenes, and MSU safety Dillon Tatum was not afraid to elaborate on those issues at the Big Ten Media Days this week with some very interesting quotes.
When asked about the difference between the 2024 roster under Jonathan Smith and the 2023 roster, Tatum said: ‘I think we like each other a lot more.’
Elaborating on that further, Tatum said:
‘It was really hard.. lot of new guys… but I think there was a lot of guys that were here to just chase a bag or something, and I don’t see that a lot this year, lot of good people…’
Based on what we saw happen in the transfer portal this year, it seems like a lot of those players who were just there for financial reasons have largely left. And I have heard that Jonathan Smith doesn’t have a lot of patience for players who try to play games with their NIL negotiations, so Tatum’s quotes make a lot of sense.
Had a chance to talk with Michigan State's Dillon Tatum at Big Ten Football Media Days on Wednesday and it's clear he's ready for a new era of Spartan Football to begin under Jonathan Smith.
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Dillon Tatum shared an all too relatable story about the new video game, College Football 25:
The return of a college football video game has taken America by storm, with the entire nation raving about the release of College Football 25. With the return of the game, even collegiate athletes are taking part in the festivities.
Dillon Tatum is someone who is enjoying the new game, and at Big Ten Media Day, he shared a funny story about breaking a controller because of the game.
You can watch the clip via Kyle Smedley of the Indy Star on X:
.@MSU_Football defensive back Dillon Tatum said he recently broke a controller while playing EA Sports College Football 25. Here’s the full clip, where he mentioned playing against teammates Nathan Carter and Jack Velling. @IndyStarSportspic.twitter.com/UhMBshEcwk
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Dillon Tatum is a main figure with the Michigan State program. The former West Bloomfield 4-star product was a major recruiting win for the Spartans in 2022 and Tatum has been a key contributor on defense during his time in East Lansing.
Tatum, while in his freshman year bounced around, was a mainstay at cornerback in his sophomore year. Now, it appears that Tatum will be moving to a more natural position in the defensive backfield as a safety/nickel combo.
Versatile DB Dillon Tatum said his position is "safetyish," with FS/SS/nickelback being the three he's focused on.
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Pictures of Michigan State football at the Big Ten Media Days
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The MSU-#Michigan rivalry this offseason has been ‘snip-snap, snip-snap!’ #GoBlue
INDIANAPOLIS — For MSU safety Dillon Tatum, he can look all over the in-state rivalry with Michigan football and see people he knows and loves on both sides. Even some who were on his side a few short months ago are on the other side, and vice versa.
Tatum originally played high school ball at West Bloomfield (Mich.) under then-head coach Ron Bellamy — who is now the receivers coach at Michigan. He has multiple former teammates who are now Wolverines — including running back Donovan Edwards and wide receiver Semaj Morgan. But most recently, he’s seen one of his own from East Lansing — fellow safety Jaden Mangham — opt to move from one side of the rivalry to the other.
In fact, hours after Mangham transferred to Michigan, Michigan linebacker Semaj Bridgeman transferred to Michigan State.
For Tatum, he’s more focused on who joined MSU rather than one of his brothers flipping sides in the rivlary.
“Yeah — switch-up is crazy! But at the end of the day, he felt like that was the best decision for him,” Tatum said. “We got in one of their guys. Just teaching that new guy how the rivalry is from my side, how we feel about this, and that it’s not just any game. It’s never gonna be that way.
“Bringing that in, we’re focused on the future. Focused on learning, getting better with the guys that are in this locker room now to win some games.”
Tatum was very measured with his words when asked about Mangham switching sides. Though he’s happy that he’s happy, he isn’t going to give any bulletin board fodder nor trash him for his decision to wear a winged helmet after being indoctrinated that maize and blue is evil.
“No — it’s OK,” Tatum said. “I don’t really have much to speak on it. It’s not my area to talk about. People are going to do what they’re going to do at the end of the day.”
Still, Tatum keeps his relationships with those who are on the other side. WolverinesWire asked him if he’s still close with Edwards — the burgeoning star for the Wolverines — and he simply said:
“Yup, we still talk.”
Perhaps this is a sign that the rivalry is set to be more respectful. Or it’s just a calm before another annual storm.
MSU has announced the three players that will represent the program at upcoming Big Ten Football Media Days
Michigan State has announced the three players that will represent the program at upcoming Big Ten Football Media Days.
Running back Nate Carter, defensive back Dillon Tatum and tight end Jack Velling are the three chosen players that will head to Indianapolis for Big Ten Media Days in a few weeks. The event will be held from July 23 – 25, with the Spartans being featured on July 24.
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