Michael Taaffe Reflects On Journey From Walk-On to Texas Longhorns All-American

Taaffe spoke with reporters during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Media Day and looked back on his journey as a Longhorn.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe (16) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff First Round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Texas Longhorn nation has come to learn and love the name of junior defensive back Michael Taaffe after his breakout performance this year.

Nearing the end of his fourth season with the Longhorns, Taaffe has started in all 14 games and totaled 63 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble and recovery, and 10 pass breakups, a career-best in all categories. His efforts have led him to be named a semifinalist for the 2024 Burlsworth Trophy, SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28, and the Burlsworth Trophy National Player of the Week on Oct. 29.

But being in the college football spotlight is a relatively new feeling for Taaffe, as he initially signed with Texas as a walk-on and was put on scholarship after his redshirt freshman season in December of 2022.

When asked during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Media Day on Monday about what he wishes he could tell his first-year self, Taaffe said that he would remind himself to not get caught up in the lack of attention.

"Be more patient, for sure, because, as as much as I was patient, as much as I was just working and putting my head down, there were times where I went back to the dorms and, you know, I was just so upset because I wasn't getting my name called," Taaffe said. "I wasn't getting that opportunity that I thought I deserved, and so it was really hard for me my freshman year to go from being the guy at Westlake, the defensive MVP two years in a row and all that stuff, to being nobody, and being a guy that your coach doesn't even know your name when you walk down the hallway. So it was tough because I knew what type of player I was, so definitely would tell myself to go be patient and let it all work out."

Taaffe's most recent accomplishment came from being named a second-team AP All-American athlete alongside senior defensive lineman Alfred Collins. The honor came just before the Longhorns secured a win over the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs, with Taaffe saying the award set in the reality that he was helping lead Texas in its second run toward the national championship.

"I think the the turning point of where it all hit me, just being able to digest it, was being named to that second team, AP All-American team. I think that was really cool for myself, just individually," Taaffe said.

This season marks the second consecutive conference championship and College Football Playoff appearance for Texas that Taaffe has been able to be a part of. He said that although he witnessed a 5-7 season during his first year, he knew these major opportunities were always in the cards.

"It's crazy that like, I expected this. I knew that coming into Texas and being on a team like this, to where we were going to be, that we're going to be in championship games like this. We're going to be in playoff games," Taaffe said. "And, you know, a lot of people might think I'm crazy when I came in and freshman year, we were five and seven, but I knew that at one point in time in my career here, we were going to get to games like this and just bringing in the guys that we did and the culture that we have, I knew that this was gonna be the possibility."

Taaffe can now rest assured that he's been able to make a name for himself while equally guiding the Longhorns to another 12-2 record, two factors that will undoubtedly make a difference in his NFL Draft stock, but he said there's still a bigger goal on the horizon.

"I came here to win a national championship, and so, you know, I've got a really hard decision to make after this year of whether to come back or go pro, and one of the biggest deciding factors is that I got to win a national championship," Taaffe said. "And that's what I came here to do, right when I signed to be a walk-on, I came here to win a national championship."

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