Michael Taaffe is still underrated
Here are two blind résumés from defensive backs on top-five teams in the College Football Playoff rankings:
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Player A (7 games): 31 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, and 3 passes defended.
Player B (8 games): 39 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 4 passes defended, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 QB hurry
One of these players was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back. The other was not in that group and instead is in the running for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to the best player who started their career as a walk-on.
That might’ve given away the answer to one of these players on the blind résumé comparison. As NashTalksTexas unearthed a couple of weeks ago… Player B is Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe.
Player A? Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, whose stellar numbers and quality of play are on the plane as those of the former walk-on.
Taaffe has been nationally underrated so far this season. His name is not as widely known and he doesn’t quite have the same cachet as someone like Downs, or Alabama’s Malachi Moore, or even Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts though Taaffe’s performances have been just as strong.
Taaffe was a zero-star recruit who’s playing like a five-star. He has seen more appreciation from the Texas fan base not just for being a remarkable story, but now for being an extremely valuable player.
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The secondary as a whole caught a lot of flak because of last year’s pass defense stats and the end-of-season loss against Washington in the Sugar Bowl. Those two aspects made it easy to point the finger at the players, and specifically the former walk-on.
But Taaffe has been more than a competent player in the secondary and has now become a vocal leader and a star. He doesn’t miss tackles, he’s never in the wrong position, and he always seems to know where the opposing player will be.
His stats, along with the secondary’s as a whole, have shown that in 2024. He now has seven pass deflections and four interceptions in his career, and while some detractors may argue his interceptions last season were a matter of “luck” a look to PFF College will show why that’s not true.
Taaffe has a defensive grade of 84.6 in 2024, the second highest on the Longhorns behind only Thorpe Award semifinalist Jahdae Barron, who without a doubt deserves his spot in the running for the award as much as anyone else. But it’s no stretch to say Taaffe should be on that list alongside his secondary partner and not just the one for the Burlsworth.
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The 2024 Texas Longhorns secondary is much improved from last year when it was considered the “weak link” of the defense. A considerable amount of credit should be given to Taaffe, credit that hasn’t steadily come from any national sources.
