Texas Longhorns DB Michael Taaffe Earns Weekly Honor

The Texas safety had one interception and one pass break up in the Longhorns win over the Aggies

Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian embraces defensive back Michael Taaffe (16) after the Longhorns' 17-7 victory in the Lone Star Showdown against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Sara Diggins/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

AUSTIN - After a stellar performance against in-state rival Texas A&M, Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe has earned the title of East-West Shrine Bowl Texas Star of the Week.

The Austin native and former walk-on snagged his second interception of the season in the first quarter against Texas A&M. An emotional game for all, Taaffe was able to keep his composure and shined under the bright lights of Kyle Field.

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The interception set up Texas' first scoring drive of the night, when quarterback Quinn Ewers took Texas 93 yards in 10 plays to set up an Arch Manning rushing touchdown. Taaffe finished the game with 3 total tackles, two of them being solo and one being a tackle for loss.

To top off the victory, Taaffe and the Texas defense shut out the Texas A&M offense and held it to 248 yards total.

In three years, Taaffe transformed himself from a walk-on to a starter. On Monday, Sarkisian praised Taaffe's work ethic and leadership from his first day on the 40 Acres.

"All he did from the day he got here was lead," Sarkisian said. "First of all, he never took a backseat from a leadership standpoint. Two, all he did was give whatever he had, like I struggle with the term over achieve. We achieve to whatever we do. And what that guy has done has squeezed his lemon and to get all the juice out of that thing that's been in there. And then in the off-season, he's built himself up to be a better player, a faster player, a more physical player, a better understanding of our scheme, to where when he plays, there's a great deal of confidence in him. It's not, hey, he's a backup that we're subbing in. He is a critical component of our defense."

Not only has Taaffe transformed himself into a starter, but now an NFL draft prospect. In high school, he turned down other offers to be a preferred walk-on at Texas because of how much the Longhorns have meant to him.

Now, in what could be the redshirt junior's final season, he ended his regular season with a win over Texas A&M, the first in 13 years.

"Just growing up an Austin guy, you know, growing up bleeding that burnt orange, wanting to play in DKR and just seeing all that come to fruition and coming out on top against those rivalry games are super cool to me," Taaffe said. "Got a lot of passion and pride into those games, and so it's cool to see us all come together as one, as a team, and just play together and come out on top. I'm really excited for my team, and hard work does pay off."

Now, Texas will have a rematch with Georgia in the SEC Championship game, and Taaffe has encouraged his teammates to learn from the previous loss and carry those lessons into this week's game.

No. 2 Texas and No. 7 Georgia will kick off at 3:00 PM on ABC from Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the SEC Title.

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