The Michigan Wolverines made a splash in the Transfer Portal by landing Taylor Tatum - the former No. 1 running back recruit in the 2024 class - but it’s what they plan to do with him that’s turning heads across the college football landscape.
According to reports, Tatum is set to begin his Michigan career not in the backfield, but at safety. Yes, you read that right. The same Taylor Tatum who was once the crown jewel of Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting class - a consensus four-star prospect out of Longview High School in Texas, a top-50 player nationally, and the highest-rated running back in the country - is now flipping sides of the ball in Ann Arbor.
Let’s unpack this.
Tatum came into the college game with all the tools you want in a dynamic offensive weapon. Speed, vision, burst - the guy had it all.
And he didn’t waste time showing it, either. In his debut for the Sooners against Temple, he racked up 69 yards and a touchdown on just five carries.
That’s the kind of efficiency that makes coaches salivate. He finished his freshman year with 278 yards on 56 carries (a healthy 5.0 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns.
Not bad for a first-year back.
But college football moves fast, and depth charts can change in a hurry.
By the end of that 2024 season, fellow freshman Xavier Robinson had emerged as the lead back in Norman. Then came 2025, and things got even more complicated for Tatum.
An injury delayed his sophomore campaign, and he ultimately redshirted after appearing in just one game - a brief stint against South Carolina. In his absence, Robinson continued to thrive, and freshman Tory Blaylock climbed to the No. 2 spot.
Heading into 2026, Tatum was staring at a third-string role at best.
So, he entered the portal - looking for a fresh start and, presumably, more touches.
That’s where Michigan came in. The Wolverines, fresh off a high-profile departure of their own with star back Justice Haynes entering the portal, looked like the perfect landing spot for a talented runner eager to reset his trajectory. From the outside, it felt like a win-win.
But here’s the twist: Michigan isn’t bringing Tatum in to carry the ball. At least, not initially. The plan is for him to start out at safety - a surprising move for a player whose offensive pedigree was never in question.
Now, this isn’t just any athlete we’re talking about. Tatum is a rare three-sport standout who also excelled in baseball and track.
He signed with Oklahoma as a dual-sport athlete and is expected to do the same at Michigan. That kind of athleticism doesn’t come around often, and it gives coaches some creative flexibility.
Still, shifting a former top running back to the defensive side of the ball isn’t something you see every day.
Whether this is a long-term position change or simply an experiment remains to be seen. Michigan has said he’ll “start out at safety and go from there,” which leaves the door open for a return to offense. But for now, the Wolverines are betting that Tatum’s raw athleticism and football IQ can translate to a new role.
It’s a bold move, and one that’s left plenty of fans - especially in Norman - scratching their heads. After all, Tatum left Oklahoma in search of opportunity, and on paper, Michigan looked like a place where he could compete for carries right away. Instead, he’s being asked to learn a new position, in a new system, on a new team.
But here’s the thing: sometimes, the best athletes are the ones who can adapt. And if Tatum can bring the same explosiveness and instincts to the secondary that he showed as a running back, Michigan might have found themselves a versatile weapon - just not the one anyone expected.
For now, it’s a story to watch closely. Because whether he’s lining up in the backfield or roaming the secondary, Taylor Tatum is too talented to be kept off the field for long.