Michael Taaffe reveals he had offseason hand surgery, but he's not letting that stop him from being full-go in 2024
During some of the first practices of the Texas Longhorns’ preseason, junior safety Michael Taaffe was seen with a brace on his left hand and a green “no-touch” jersey. Taaffe revealed Thursday while speaking with the media over Zoom that he had surgery on his hand but that it was not affecting him in his preparation for the 2024 season.
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“I think as far as my arm, I got surgery in May,” Taaffe said. “It’s been a great process. The doctor is very pleased with how it’s going. I’m making very good strides. Like I said, I’m full live. I’m tackling. I’m catching. I’m getting off blocks. Everything you need to do as a DB, I’m doing it. I can play at the highest level with whatever is on my hand. I’m just excited.”
Taaffe was jokingly asked if he lost an arm wrestling contest to Arch Manning, who also wears No. 16 and whose presence in Austin can be at least partially credited to the one-time walk-on safety from Austin (Texas) Westlake. Taaffe laughed and said he wouldn’t want to get in that type of contest with Manning, but would sau he’s ready to do whatever the team needs him to do in the defensive backfield.
“I’m full live right now,” Taaffe said. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been playing. I’ve been hitting. I’ve been tackling. I’ve been catching. I’m ready to go. I don’t know where the process is right now going into the season, but I know I’m full-go.”
Taaffe could be the last of a dying breed as the future of walk-ons is uncertain in the wake of the House v. NCAA court case. Taaffe isn’t going to go all in his junior season out because of that, but he does plan to go all out in 2024 because of his unabashed pride in being a Longhorn.
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“I’m not going to let anything get in my way,” Taaffe said. “I believe I’m a ball-hawk. If I see the ball in the air, I’m going to go get it.”
An All-Big 12 honorable mention who was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy last year, Taaffe played in all 14 games with nine starts in 2023. He tallied 48 tackles, 2.5 TFL, and three interceptions. He became the first Longhorn to pick off an opponent in three straight games since All-American DeShon Elliott accomplished the feat in 2017.
But Taaffe isn’t in this for individual accolades, as his 11-minute session with the media revealed. He wants for the team to have success.
Something he saw on Monday from practice, and something repeated to Inside Texas through multiple sources, indicated the Longhorns appear primed for a strong campaign thanks to one of the best workouts he’s been through while with the Texas program.
“In fall camp, it’s really taxing at times,” Taaffe said. “There’s only one team that wins on January 20, stands on the podium, and is holding the national championship. So you know every team is trying to achieve that. Most importantly in the offseason but really in August, how can you abide by the rules but also take advantage of every single little detail? In the middle of camp, people can lose sight of that, but Monday we came out flying.
“I was telling Coach Sark this is the most fun practice I think I’ve ever had here. It was just so cool to see how competitive we can be as a team when we’ve been going against each other for six months now.”
As camp wears on, it can wear on the players too. But what Taaffe took part in on Monday has him excited for the Longhorns’ upcoming campaign, one where he will play a pivotal role even with a surgically-repaired hand.
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“I’m definitely ready to play new competition, but it was so cool to see that we’re so competitive as a team,” Taaffe said.
