If you pay attention to things like the Rivals.com FutureCast picks, J’Mond Tapp would seem to be pretty much locked in to commit to LSU at some point. But if you ask Tapp directly, he’ll tell you he’s much more open than people realize.

The defensive end took only one official visit in June – to the University of Texas – and he’s told Orangebloods.com repeatedly that the Longhorns were very high on his list. Coming out of his official visit, Tapp said things went so well he had trouble picking one element that he’d consider the highlight.

“The whole weekend was a highlight. Everything was good. Everything was fun,” Tapp said.

A 6-3, 240-pounder, Tapp is a Rivals100 member who can line up at both linebacker and defensive end thanks to his combination of size, strength and athleticism. The Texas coaches have talked to him about playing the JACK position, where he’d get a chance to showcase his versatility.

“They’re a new staff and they don’t really have too many outside linebackers,” Tapp said. “They had to get some transfers to play just to fill the spots.”

With the dead period now in effect, the Donaldsonville Ascension Catholic product plans to take a step away from recruiting for a bit. He may take an official visit or two when things open back up, or he may continue to take things slowly and save his visits until after his senior season concludes.

“I might take one (in the fall) but it kind of depends on how it interferes with my games,” Tapp said.

The nation’s No. 93-ranked player doesn’t have an official list of favorites, but he says the Longhorns will draw serious consideration. In fact, Tapp said Texas is the school he grew up following when he was a kid.

“Texas is a strong suit for me. They’re up there,” Tapp said. “They’re up there in the strong suit. One, it’s just my dream school. It’s the only college I really knew about when I was young.”