There's more to the Michael Taaffe story than just going from walk-on to scholarship player
“Being a Longhorn fan, growing up, bleeding burnt orange, this team matters more to me than anything else… I’m willing to die for this team.”
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Michael Taaffe has become a leader of the secondary for the Texas Longhorns because of statements like that, and his teammates know he isn’t mincing his words when he says that. His role as a leader has been earned through his hard work.
The past couple years you might’ve noticed a new piece in the secondary after a few games and thought to yourself “who the heck is this kid?”
Then after a few open field tackles and a handful of interceptions, you thought again “who the heck is this kid!?”
But if you’re from the Austin area, follow Texas high school football, or have deep knowledge of the Longhorns roster, you’ve known about Taaffe for years.
The Westlake community knew Taaffe had ability, as did a few colleges like Brown and Colgate. Rice wanted Taaffe to become an Owl, and he almost did before the Longhorns came calling with a walk-on opportunity. Those came about because of his rapid development toward the end of his high school career, development that was instrumental in Westlake winning back-to-back state titles. One of those championships occurred thanks to Taaffe’s interceptions of Quinn Ewers.
Even so, a walk-on with a handful of Ivy League offers was not a player anyone saw becoming a starting safety for the No. 1 team in the nation. But after several years of high-effort special teams play and quality reps in his in-game opportunities, Taaffe earned more and more trust and Steve Sarkisian and company deemed him worthy of a scholarship.
The remarkable story doesn’t end with Taaffe receiving a scholarship. Taaffe is playing at an all-conference level. He’s currently No. 2 among SEC safeties with an 83.6 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus. This season, Taaffe has 21 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss along with two passes defended, with his most recent break-up a touchdown-saving play against Mississippi State.
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While there may be nothing physically imposing about Taafe and his 6-foot-0, 195-pound frame to the naked eye, what has led to his meteoric rise within the program is what he brings to the table above the shoulders. He’s one of the lead communicators in the secondary, a facet that has been key to the remarkable turnaround in the Longhorn secondary on Pete Kwiatkowski‘s side of the ball.
Texas ranked No. 47 in team passing efficiency defense last season. This year? The Longhorns are No. 3 in that same metric behind only No. 1 Washington and No. 2 Minnesota. That’s been an 11-man defensive effort, not just a one-man job as Taaffe would explain.
“Year four in the system of having the same coaches, having guys like me that have that year four experience, that confidence,” Taaffe said about what’s helped. “Then guys that elevate the room, Andrew Mukuba, Jelani McDonald. Veteran guys like (Jahdae) Barron or (Jaylon) Guilbeau, the experience that we have together is really the most important thing.”
Everybody is on the same page and it shows, broken coverages seem like a thing of the past thanks to Taaffe and company.
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If their success continues, it will be quite a defensive turnaround after the way the Longhorns were susceptible to passing attacks last year. And a lot of it will have to do with a veteran former walk-on who wants there to be more to his story than receiving a scholarship.
