Michael Taaffe reveals the moment his gamble to be a Texas walk-on paid off with the Longhorns
Taaffe bet on himself, earned a UT scholarship. ‘Hard to forget that day, for sure for me. Big stepping stone in my career.’
On Wednesday, Texas will sign another bumper crop of blue-chip, multi-star recruits with incredible athletic pedigrees. Maybe they work out, maybe not. The ones worth watching will get no fanfare at all.
Westlake’s Michael Taaffe could have accepted a full scholarship to Rice. Baylor and SMU offered him walk-on spots but no scholarship. His On3 recruiting profile today shows zero stars.
First-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian trusted his new safeties coach Blake Gideon, a Texas ex who likely saw a ghost of himself in the 6-foot, 180-pound Taaffe. The Longhorns offered Taaffe a walk-on spot, and instead of going to Rice, he bet on himself.
Now, three years later, Taaffe has become the second-leading tackler for the nation’s No. 1-ranked defense that’s about to play for the SEC championship in what has long been considered the best football conference in America.
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“He’s dedicated, and he doesn’t take no for answer,” said Jahdae Barron, a Jim Thorpe Award finalist. “He’s going to keep working, just keep climbing. And that's what I love about him, just his work ethic.”
When Sarkisian was hired, he studied the roster and looked for recognizable names. After all, he helped Alabama recruit some of the same players. Walk-ons don’t make the new coach’s radar. Certainly not somebody nicknamed “Mookie.”
In 2021, coaches weren’t allowed to be with players during summer workouts. “Every player would come back and I’d say, ‘Hey, how’d it go? How was 7-on-7? How was team?’ they would always bring up Michael Taaffe,” Sarkisian said. “And I’m like, who?
“I knew him, but I didn't really know him.”
All Sarkisian knew was that Taaffe was a natural leader and “all he did was he give whatever he had.”
That fall, Taaffe was, well, a walk-on. He didn’t play at all. In 2022, Taaffe worked his way into the rotation and played in 13 games and even started against Kansas. In a team meeting on Dec. 17, Sarkisian finished his comments to the team and then stunned the room by saying, “One last thing. Michael Taaffe, you’re on scholarship.”
Multiple Longhorns climbed over rows of seats in the team room to mob Taaffe with congratulations.
“Hard to forget that day, for sure for me. Big stepping stone in my career,” Taaffe said. “Just seeing all my teammates rally around me, hug me, so proud for me, that was so cool.”
Taaffe still smiles when he thinks about how everyone, from future NFL players to current-day teammates, were happy for him and the program. “Me not being able to even breathe because I’m piled up, it was so cool.”
Former Westlake coach Todd Dodge told the Austin American-Statesman in 2023 that Taaffe wasn’t at UT just to “wear the uniform.”
“When I heard about his scholarship, the hair on my arms stood up and my chest was just thumping with pride,” Dodge told the Statesman. “I was just so happy for him. And they didn’t give him a scholarship, it wasn’t a token ‘attaboy.’ He earned it.”
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Taaffe continued his ascent the following season, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors. He started nine games, played in all 14 during a Big 12 title campaign, and finished with 48 tackles and three interceptions.
Some would argue his biggest contribution was off the field. Taaffe was one of the primary recruiters to help land quarterback Arch Manning. “I just showed him the Forty Acres and I showed him what it meant to be a Texas football player,” Taaffe said in October 2023.
This season, Taaffe has become one of the key reasons why the pass defense has allowed only four touchdowns all season, tied for the nation’s lowest total in that category.
He’s still a ball hawk. The same player who snagged two interceptions in the 2020 Class 6A Division I state championship game climbed the ladder and picked off a pass last Saturday against Texas A&M.
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Taaffe is fiercely loyal, too. Asked about a sign held up during ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Taaffe took time in the post-game press conference to give an emotional defense of his friend and former Longhorn, the late Jake Ehlinger.
On the field, Taaffe has 57 tackles this season, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and six pass break-ups. He’s still listed at 6-feet tall but now 195 pounds. He’s been eating and working out at UT.
Taaffe will have an impact Saturday against Georgia (10-2). Considering how Texas’ defense is constructed, it’s impossible that he won’t.
Taaffe bet on himself, chased his dreams. It’s paid off in a huge way.
“I definitely think he’s an NFL prospect,” Sarkisian said. “Again, I don’t know, I haven’t looked at it, haven’t talked to the scouts and what they exactly think and where they project him. But I think the guy is going to play in the National Football League. And that's a great story.”
