Texas S Michael Taaffe announces return for final season

The fifth-generation Longhorn is coming back for his coming back for his fifth year in burnt orange and white.

In the midst of six players declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft over the course of three days, the Texas longhorns receives some positive news on Tuesday evening when redshirt junior safety Michael Taaffe announced his return for his final season on the Forty Acres.

“Growing up, I dreamed of playing at the University of Texas. These last four years have been so special to me — playing in the burnt orange was always a dream come true. But more than that, I dreamed of winning the national championship. The last two playoff appearances is a true testament to how much me and my teammates put into this and how much we poured into one another. But the job’s not over, and the mission’s not finished. It’s time to finish that mission. Longhorn Nation, let’s run it back,” Taaffe said in his announcement video.

Taaffe chose to receive recognition on Senior Day against Florida back in November because he wanted to walk with his class, he said, but left open the possibility of returning.

A 6’0, 195-pounder, Taaffe also competed in track at Austin Westlake while serving as a playmaking force on head coach Todd Dodge’s defense, recording 37 tackles with a sack, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and one fumble recovery as a junior. In the 6A-Division II state title game in 2019, a 24-0 win over Denton Guyer, Taaffe was named the Defensive MVP.

As a senior, Taaffe took on a larger role, playing in all three phases, notching 60 tackles (48 solo), seven tackles for loss, five interceptions, seven quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery while catching 18 passes for 297 yards and three touchdown receptions and adding 19 punt returns for 356 yards (18.7 ypr).

In another state title game, this time against Southlake Carroll and his current teammate Quinn Ewers, Taaffe once again earned Defensive MVP honors after picking off Ewers not once, but twice, including a remarkable leaping, one-handed interception against the star quarterback.

After the standout career with the Chaps, Taaffe picked up offers from Brown and Colgate, along with a preferred walk-on spot at Rice, but accepted a walk-on spot at Texas just weeks after the big win over Southlake Carroll, remaining close to home and betting on himself that he could eventually find a way onto the field at Texas.

In 2021, Taaffe didn’t make an appearance for the Longhorns, but he did make an impact on the depth chart during the spring, emerging as the second-team nickel back in the Orange-White game.

Taaffe’s trajectory as an important player for Texas took off during the summer of 2022 when he served as the host for 2023 No. 1 prospect Arch Manning and helped the Longhorns secure the quarterback’s coveted commitment.

During the 2022 regular season, Taaffe played on special teams while also contributing at nickel back and safety, appearing in all 12 games and recording 25 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and a pass broken up.

After Texas placed Taaffe on scholarship in December 2022, he took on a larger role for the Horns, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention while playing in all 14 games with nine starts, totaling 48 tackles (28 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two pass breakups, and one blocked punt. In intercepting passes in three straight games, Taaffe became the first Longhorns player to accomplish that feat since DeShon Elliott in 2017.

Taaffe’s upward trajectory continued in 2024 when he teamed with Clemson transfer Andrew Mukuba to lead an improvement Texas secondary, finishing second on the team with 78 tackles while recording 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, 10 passes broken up, and one forced fumble. In coverage, Taaffe didn’t allow a touchdown all season or more than 21 yards in a single game when targeted until the Peach Bowl win over Arizona State.