Texas Longhorns' Michael Taaffe 'Knows The Tendencies' of Clemson's Cade Klubnik

Texas Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe and Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik were once high school teammates. Now, they'll face off in the College Football Playoff.

Westlake s Michael Taaffe (14) celebrates with his teammates after his interception in the second half during the UIL Class 6A Division 1 state championship football game between Southlake Carroll and Westlake, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. Westlake won 52-34. Ms1 4102 / Matt Strasen/Special to American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

AUSTIN - When Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik makes his return to Austin for the College Football Playoff first-round game, one person on the field will probably know him better than anyone else: Texas defensive back Michael Taaffe.

While pair of Austin-Westlake High School Alumni may be best friends, that will change for the duration of the game on Saturday.

The two became best friends during the 2020, which also happened to be the year that the COVID-19 Pandemic shut down the world, including high school football. Taaffe talked about his relationship with Klubnik while speaking to the media Monday.

"It was COVID when he was my quarterback, so there was nothing that we could do but go throw the football around," Taaffe said. "And like Jahdae said, I've mentioned, like Drew's mentioned, you know, we were with Bam Performance 100 days straight, but that was just two hours of the day. I had 22 hours of the day left, and so me and Cade were throwing the ball, running routes, and figuring out every single avenue how to win the state championship."

Taaffe and Klubnik would go on to win back-to-back state championships with the Westlake Chapparalls, who are competing for another one this weekend. Both of the championships that the pair won at Westlake were over quarterback Quinn Ewers and his Southlake Carroll Dragons.

It wasn't just Taaffe and Klubnik who would go throw the football around, they got everyone involved. All of the defensive backs and wide receivers would go out to the Westlake High School practice fields to run routes and practice. Through that, Taaffe learned all of Klubnik's ticks and intricacies, but also, vice versa.

"I know the tendencies that he has," Taaffe said. "You know I'll take those to my advantage, but vice versa. He knows what type of player I am. He knows I like to take calculated risks. He knows that I'm a student of the game. And so he's gonna probably show me one thing that they've done on film 100 times, and it's gonna be the opposite. And so I'm ready for that. I know that, but he probably knows the same thing."

While the two may be well acquainted on and off the field, one thing reigns true about both of them. They are true competitors. Though friends, they won't be from the time they take the field on Saturday to the time the clock hits 0:00. With the season on the line, both are going to do whatever it takes to help their team survive and advance.

"He does everything to try to win. He's going to do whatever it takes," Taaffe said. "I don't assume that there's going to be a lot of sliding out of Cade come Saturday. There's probably not going to be a lot of stepping out of bounds, especially if he sees 16. So he's going to, he's going to try to impose his will on me. He's definitely going to try to lower his shoulder on me and and he's going to, he's going to tell me about it too, if that's what happens. So I'll be ready for that. And vice versa, I'll be ready to lower my shoulder on him. So it's gonna be fun. And yeah, our mindset is win or go home, and that's what it takes."

The high school best friends will take the field on Saturday as Texas faces Clemson in the first round of the new-look College Football Playoff. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. from Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

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