Rivals100 RB Taylor Tatum recaps recent trip to Texas
Longview running back Taylor Tatum is one of the country’s top overall prospects and he has a lengthy list of scholarship offers, including one from the Texas Longhorns. Before the February dead period kicked in, Tatum made a trip to Austin to check out the Texas program, where he got a chance to get better acquainted with the UT coaches and spend some time with a Texas great.
“Probably (the highlight) was just getting to meet up with coach Choice and coach Sark, having one on one time with them,” Tatum said of the visit. “Specifically getting to see what coach Choice’s position meeting would look like. He dissected some film, Bijan Robinson came in and talked about some plays, some big runs, some training.”
Choice showed Tatum and the other running backs in attendance at the junior day some clips of the drills that Robinson worked on in practice, and how those drills carried over to the games. Choice and Tatum have stayed in regular contact since that visit as they continue to build their connection.
“Ever since he offered me, he touches in on a weekly basis. Lately, after being at the junior day, we try to talk every other day to just say what’s up,” Tatum said. “We’ve talked about track meets, baseball games, he’s talked to my parents too … just building that relationship up.”
Tatum, who also excels as a baseball player, followed the Texas junior day visit with visits to Michigan and Duke. He enjoyed those experiences as well.
“Getting to meet coach (Jim) Harbaugh (was a highlight), seeing his personality. He’s really the same as you see on TV. He’s a funny guy, relationship guy, talked a lot about family,” Tatum said. “At Michigan, I talked to the baseball staff, spent the day with coach (Tray) Smith, the head baseball coach. At Duke, I spent the day with the head coach, the running back coach there, met up with OC.”
The visit to Texas also included some time with the baseball staff and the Texas coaches told Tatum they’d be supportive of him playing both sports in college.
“Talked to coach (David) Pierce a little bit. He showed me around the facility,” Tatum said. “He told me his input on my recruitment. He and coach Sark had talked, had made out ways that it would work out (to play both).”
The 5-11, 190-pound Tatum is a Rivals100 member, checking in at No. 62 nationally. He’s a unique talent on the football and baseball fields, but he’s also very strong in the classroom. He plans to study something in the field of medicine, possibly physical therapy, and academics will play a big part in his decision.
“It will be a big factor. My parents have always preached to me, sports can take you to a good career, but that can end at any point,” Tatum said. “They’ve always told me a degree is the most important thing no matter what. I’m looking for a school that meets my academic requirements. It may surprise some people with some of the schools I’ll look at. I want to still focus on my degree but play football and baseball too.”