Michigan Football: Latest on Dillon Tatum and the board expanding

Top Michigan football target Dillon Tatum talks about his decision timeline but also the safety board has expanded recently. 

Michigan football started out the summer on a hot streak in terms of commitments but since landing Myles Pollard back on July 7th, the Wolverines have been in the midst of a drought.

The Wolverines had hope with guys like Jeremy Patton and Dillon Bell, who ended up committing to Baylor and Georgia, respectively.

But as much as it hurt to lose out in those recruitments, as both Patton and Bell were said to be silent commitments, it would hurt even worse if Michigan football missed on Dillon Tatum.

The four-star athlete from West Bloomfield, Michigan is one of the top recruits in the state and is ranked 265th overall and fifth (in Michigan) according to the 247 sports composite rankings.

Not only could the Wolverines use another in-state commitment (they currently have one of the state’s top five) but with Michigan State as the top threat for Tatum, U-M can’t afford a loss.

As of now, Michigan football controls all of Tatum’s crystal balls with eight projections to the Wolverines with an average confidence level of seven on a scale of 1-10.

Tatum was originally supposed to decide back in April but has pushed back the timeline. He is expected to decide before his senior season and despite a recent offer from Tennessee, he told Allen Trieu of 247 sports he plans to stick to that timeline on Tuesday.

The only thing that could throw a wrench into the mix in terms of the timeline is Tennessee. If Tatum decides to visit the Vols that could delay his decision or he could make a visit as a commit, which means defending that pledge until signing day.

Hopefully, whether it’s good news or bad news (a commitment to MSU), it sounds like we should know something about Tatum in the next few weeks.

A new safety offer

Another recruit Michigan football fans should start tracking is three-star safety Damani Dent. Of course, if the Wolverines hit on Tatum there might be less urgency with Dent, but if the Wolverines need another option at safety, he’s a pretty good one.

Looking at his ranking, it’s low right now at 1,432 overall in the composite rankings. However, the prospect from Jacksonville, Florida is starting to get noticed and was offered by Oregon after he camped there and was one of the top performers.

He was committed to Akron at the time but has since de-committed. Pittsburgh also came in with an offer but it sounds like Michigan is a real contender according to what he told Brice Marich of The Michigan Insider:

Michigan also just made the top six for four-star defensive back Austin Ausberry, but four SEC teams are still in the mix and he has a crystal ball projection to LSU.

The best thing for Michigan would be landing Tatum at safety, plus possibly flipping Amorion Walker from Notre Dame. But Tatum is the top priority and if the Wolverines get him, they won’t need to worry as much about these other options.