Hobart has put its trust in Aleks Tatum

Aleks Tatum gets pleasure from inflicting pain on his opponents.

“My physicality is definitely a big strength when I’m on the football field,” explained Tatum. “Not only being able to take hits but also being able to deliver them definitely adds to my ability to excel on Friday nights.

Whether he’s on the gridiron or the wrestling mat, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Hobart High senior quarterback has proven to be a big hit.

“If I wasn’t playing quarterback, another position I would love to play is linebacker,” Tatum said. “I played it in Pop Warner as well as middle school. I always thought it was nice to give the hits instead of always taking them all the time.”

However, he has not always been as outgoing and carefree on the playing field.

“I was a shy kid growing up and needed something to get me out of my shell,” recalled Tatum. “The answer was Hobart football, so when I was five years old, I got involved in Pop Warner.”

After competing on both sides of the field during his early playing days, he finally settled in as the Brickies’ signal caller.

“I love playing quarterback because it keeps you engaged, almost ‘zone’ state the whole time,” explained Tatum. “It is a unique feeling that I feel you can’t really experience at any other position.”

Since getting a chance to get his feet wet as freshman during the 2023 campaign with three carries for 12 yards, he has definitely won over everyone involved.

As a sophomore, he assumed command and completed 91-of-168 passes for 1,418 yards with 13 touchdowns and also carried the ball 93 times for 475 yards with five scores to help his club to a 6-5 mark.

“Another huge strength for me is trust,” Tatum said. “This goes both ways on the field. I know when I’m out there with my teammates that we have full confidence in each other and this is huge on allowing us to play freely and without worry on Friday.”

A year ago, he was instrumental in helping them to a 10-3 finish and a Class 4A sectional crown by going 99-of-186 for 1,580 yards with 19 touchdowns and running 136 times for 860 yards with 13 scores.

“Aleks’ strengths are his ability to take what the defense gives us and his ability to run the ball hard,” said Hobart head football coach Eric Schreiber Jr. “This gives us an edge on the offensive side of the ball and forces defenses to have to account for all 11 guys on offense.”

The same goes for the squared circle where Tatum qualified for the 2024 Indiana High School Athletic Association state wrestling finals in the 190-pound weight class as a freshman and was a regional champion and a semistate participant a year ago.

“Wrestling has been a major impact on my play in football,” explained Tatum, who posted a 27-6 record on the mat last winter. “Wrestling has had an enormous impact on my physicality, but also my mindset. Wrestling is a unique sport and I feel the mindset that I have gained is unparalleled and definitely gives me an edge in football.”

This has been evident in the early stages of the 2026 campaign as he is 45-of-60 for 853 yards with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions and has run 37 times for 194 yards with four scores.

“Last year, a big weakness was definitely getting tunnel vision and focusing too much on individual players on certain pass concepts,” recalled Tatum. “I felt this definitely hindered my performance, but I have worked tremendously this year on improving it and my play this year has definitely shown that.”

Over the course of time, he has also become one of the “go-to” guys.

“Being a three-year starter and the quarterback, leadership was something that I had to learn very quickly and develop,” Tatum said. “This was definitely for the better as it has not only shaped the leadership I show today but has helped shape my character as well.”

His boss definitely agrees with this assessment.

“He is the heart and soul of the team,” Schreiber said about Tatum. “His teammates feed off of the way he competes, and we move in a lot of ways with the passion and desire that Aleks competes with every Friday night.

“What makes him one of our leaders is his work ethic, his passion, and the way he carries himself not only on the field, but in school and the community. One area he can still improve on is not being so hard on himself. He’s his own biggest critic and we love that about him.”

Being on the same page with his teammates is also something Aleks values heavily.

“Trust is huge across the whole offense,” explained Tatum. “This has definitely been a key aspect that has driven us. I trust my receivers to get open and they trust me to get the ball, and the same can be said about the relationship I have with the offensive line. There is no doubt in my mind that they won’t have my back and protect me and with them doing their job they trust me to make a play and deliver. Overall, we have really adopted the word ‘family’ across not only just the offense, but the team as a whole.”

The same concepts apply to Coach Schreiber and company as well.

“I would say my relationship with the whole coaching staff is really good,” Tatum said. “They are great mentors and not only teach us to become better football players but also better men.”

Having aspirations of competing at the next level means there is always room for improvement.

“My plan is to continue my football career as long as I possibly can,” said Tatum, who currently has a 4.5 grade-point average and wants to major in sports medicine. “I love this sport with my whole heart and would be glad to play for any team willing to allow me to.

“I feel like the biggest thing I would need to work and something that definitely jumps levels the higher you get in competition is anticipation. Finding that open grass even when it doesn’t look clear but trusting your gut know that it’s gonna open up.”

Outside of athletics, Aleks enjoys a variety of activities.

“I like playing the guitar and tubing,” Tatum said. “I also like getting out and playing some pickleball. My long-term goals and plans are to travel as much as possible and become a physician assistant.”

After a tough 10-7 loss to South Bend Saint Joseph in last year’s regional final, he is definitely looking for some post-season redemption this fall.

“If this team can put four quarters together in all three phases of the game, I feel this team will not only surpass the accomplishments of last year, but will be down at Lucas Oil (Stadium) on Thanksgiving weekend.”

Before making arrangements for Indianapolis in late November, though, No. 5 (Class 4A) Hobart (4-0) has to take care of business against No. 3 (Class 3A) Andrean (3-1) on September 18 at the Brickyard in Northwest Crossroads Conference action.