Michael Taaffe nominated for Burlsworth Trophy
Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe has been nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, the Burlsworth Foundation announced on Tuesday.
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The trophy recognizes the most outstanding football player who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field. Each nominee must have begun his first season of participation at a FBS (D1) football program without financial aid of any kind from his university’s athletic department.
The Austin (Texas) Westlake product joined the Longhorns as a walk-on in 2021, competing on the practice squad and as a backup during his first year on the Forty Acres and for much of the 2022 season. He was awarded a scholarship on December 17, 2022, ahead of the Longhorns’ Alamo Bowl appearance.
In 2023, Taaffe has appeared in all eight games with three starts, tallying 20 tackles (13 solo), one tackle for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups. His two interceptions are tied for 12th in the Big 12 Conference and tied for the team lead, with both occurring over the last two games. The first, which was the first of his career, occurred in the fourth quarter at Houston when he picked off a pass in the end zone to end a Cougar scoring threat.
In last week’s win against BYU, he intercepted a pass at the Texas 47-yard line and returned it 45 yards to set up a Longhorn touchdown.
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For his career, Taaffe has played in 21 games with four starts, recording 46 tackles (26 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups.
The trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, a former University of Arkansas walk-on and All-American offensive lineman. Without one D1 scholarship offer, Burlsworth walked on at the University of Arkansas in 1994. He became a three-year starter and was eventually named an All-American in 1998. Burlsworth was selected as the 63rd overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1999 NFL draft but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory and supports the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those children who have limited opportunities.
The Burlsworth Trophy award ceremony to honor the three finalists and to announce the 2023 winner will be on December 4, at 7:00pm CST at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas.
