Michigan State defensive back Dillon Tatum has entered the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining, he announced on his Instagram Monday morning.
Tatum played in 22 games across his three seasons at MSU, making 62 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and breaking up eight passes.
In 2024 he only played 21 snaps before suffering a season-ending injury in Week One against Florida Atlantic.
Tatum came to Michigan State as a four-star recruit out of West Bloomfield High School and was the sixth-ranked recruit from Michigan in the class of 2022, committing to Mel Tucker's MSU staff.
He played in all 12 of MSU’s games as a true freshman in 2022, with a good chunk of his snaps coming on special teams, but making one start at cornerback in the season-finale against Penn State. Tatum then took a big step the following year, starting eight of the nine games he played in at cornerback during the 2023 campaign before missing the final three games of the 2023 season due to injury.
Tatum now becomes the fifth Spartan to enter the transfer portal during the spring window, but is just the second player who has been able to see significant time on the field before — the other being rush end Anthony Jones. He is also the second player who has played cornerback for MSU and made real on-field contributions at that spot before entering the transfer portal this offseason, joining Charles Brantley, who ended up at Miami (FL). Tatum is the seventh total defensive back from Michigan State's 2024 roster to have entered the transfer portal in either the winter window or spring window.
Tatum was a versatile defensive back for Michigan State, as he was able to play multiple spots in the secondary. Sources tell Spartans Illustrated that he was primarily competing at nickel back during the spring of 2025.
The transfer portal will still remains open until this Friday, April 25, which means a few more players could exit the program until the window closes. Head coach Jonathan Smith has already been very active in the transfer portal, acquiring 16 players during the winter period, and will be expected to make a few additions in the coming weeks.
Some of those additions Smith has made have been to bolster the secondary, too. In the winter window, the Spartans added Joshua Eaton (Texas State), Malcolm Bell (UConn) and NiJhay Burt (Eastern Illinois) at cornerback. All three of players enrolled at MSU in January and participated in spring ball. Returning cornerback Chance Rucker is also projected to have a significant role, as well.
Keep track of all of Michigan State's transfer portal activity HERE.
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