| Texas Longhorns–No. 16 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Class |  |
| Major | Sport Management |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 18, 2003 |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 189 lb (86 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Westlake (Austin, Texas) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Michael Joseph Taaffe (born February 18, 2003) is an American football safety for the Texas Longhorns.
Taaffe attended Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. He played cornerback and wide receiver in high school. As a senior, Taaffe recorded 60 tackles and five interceptions while catching 18 passes for 297 yards and three touchdown receptions. [1] Taaffe's most notable high school highlight is intercepting Carroll Senior High School and future Texas Quarterback Quinn Ewers twice in their state championship game. Also, Taaffe helped lead Westlake to back-to-back state championship titles. [2] On November 5, 2020, Taaffe committed to Rice. [3] However, Taaffe was offered a walk-on spot at Texas and decided to accept the Longhorns offer.
Taaffe was a walk-on at Texas and saw no playing time during his freshman year.
When Taaffe was a redshirt freshman, he played in 13 games totaling 26 combined tackles. Prior to the Alamo Bowl, Taaffe was granted a full scholarship by Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian on December 18, 2022. [4]
During Taaffe's sophomore season, he amassed a total of 48 tackles and 3 interceptions. [5] This led to Taaffe earning honorable mention All-Big 12 and a Burlsworth Trophy nominee. [6] [7]
During Taaffe's junior season, he earned SEC co-defensive player of the week and Burlsworth Trophy walk-on of the week honors. [8] [9] Taaffe also earned second team AP All-American honors. [10] During the 2024 College Football Playoffs, a high hit by Taaffe led to the Big 12 commissioner to call for consistency in targeting penalty calls. [11] He ended the season with 78 tackles, 10 pass deflections, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 5 interceptions. [12]
Taaffe chose to return to Texas for his fifth and final year, forgoing the NFL draft. [13] After week 3, he was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which honors 22 college football players for extraordinary commitment to community service. [14]
Taaffe is a Christian. [15]