Former Utah State defensive back Dominic Tatum transfers to Washington State

PULLMAN – Washington State shored up its secondary with the addition of an experienced transfer.

Dominic Tatum, a former starting safety and cornerback at Utah State, signed with WSU on Wednesday.

Tatum appeared in 27 games and made nine starts during his Aggies career. He recorded 70 tackles, three tackles for loss and six pass deflections over the past four seasons.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder primarily played safety – and took reps at free and strong safety – but he spent more time at the cornerback position in 2022.

Tatum played in every game and made four starts last year, finishing the season with 26 tackles. He started the first three games of the 2021 season at safety before suffering a season-ending injury, which forced him to take a redshirt year. Tatum had two starts as a sophomore in 2020.

He played sparingly as a true freshman in 2019 after joining the program as a three-star recruit out of Culver City (California) High School.

Tatum entered the NCAA transfer portal on April 18 and picked up an offer from WSU on the same day. He chose the Cougars over offers from San Diego State, UNLV and Texas State. Tatum has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

WSU will likely evaluate Tatum at safety and cornerback. The team lacks experience at safety behind returning starters Jaden Hicks and Sam Lockett III. But the Cougars’ cornerback position could also use a veteran .

Tatum will reunite with a former Utah State teammate – senior Cougars cornerback Cam Lampkin, who suited up for the Aggies from 2019-21 before transferring to WSU. Lampkin played limited snaps off the bench last season, but he took most of the first-team reps at the No. 2 corner spot throughout spring camp.

If Tatum joins WSU’s cornerbacks, he’ll be coached by a familiar face. WSU cornerbacks coach Ray Brown tutored corners at Utah State in 2021.