West Virginia is in Heavy Pursuit of One of the Nation's Top Pass Rushers in Portal

West Virginia has been on a serious run on the offensive side of the ball with transfer portal commits, and here soon, we'll start to see some additions on the defensive side.

One of those targets that the Mountaineers are in prime position for is Southern Miss pass rusher J'Mond Tapp (6'3", 275 lbs), who has just one year of eligibility remaining.

The Donaldsville, Louisiana native initially played at Texas, picking the Longhorns out of high school over opportunities at Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, LSU, Louisville, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Tulane, USC, and Washington State, among others.

After seeing limited playing time in Austin, Tapp hit the transfer portal and landed at Arizona State. Unfortunately, the same thing transpired there where he was out of the rotation and buried on the depth chart, leading to his move to Southern Miss. Finally receiving his opportunity, Tapp made the most of it, registering 70 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.

Getting after the passer is something West Virginia had trouble with at times this season. Reid Carrico and Devin Grant were tied for the team lead with 27 pressures. Tapp? Oh, he only had FIFTY-NINE! Just eight players in all of college football had more. On top of that, he also collected 30 hurries and 19 QB hits.

Tapp was an elite pass rusher, receiving a 90.7 pass rushing grade via the folks at Pro Football Focus — only fifteen players who saw significant snaps were rated higher.

His best performance of the season came against Appalachian State, tallying nine pressures, six hurries, four stops (negative play for the offense), and three tackles.

To keep track of all the movement, be sure to visit the West Virginia Football Transfer Tracker. There, we will have a full list of players who are leaving WVU for the portal, which players have been offered by WVU, who have scheduled a visit, and a mini breakdown for those who end up choosing the Mountaineers.

MORE STORIES FROM WEST VIRGINIA ON SI