What Getting Dillon Tatum Back Means for MSU Football

"So, I think he gives you some flexibility, I think he's good in the run game, I think he's a good blitzer, I think he has really good speed. He's able to add that element to the game, so we're excited to have him back and working and being around the guys.

"And we'll see how the spring goes, but so far, he's been doing a really good job of what we've asked him to do."

With a team full of new faces, getting as many players back as possible who have already learned Rossi's defense in Year 1 will be crucial. So too will it be vital to have players who were around the program even before then, as they know the Spartan culture and the standard that Michigan State football expects to meet, even though it's been some time since it has.

"It's big for us," fellow defensive back Nikai Martinez said of Tatum's return. "I think him [Tatum] being the older guy ... he'd been in this system, so he understands it, it's just about him getting his feet back wet, and I feel like that comes with time, just because of the injury he had, missed the whole season. But he's going to be very beneficial for us."

Tatum was a former four-star recruit out of West Bloomfield. He would play every game for the Spartans in his freshman season and would make eight starts in nine appearances the following year before suffering a season-ending injury later in the campaign.

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