AUSTIN, Texas — Peter Taaffe noticed it early. Little Michael Taaffe, within the second grade, had a glance in his eye in his first Pop Warner soccer practices within the West Lake Hills space of Austin.
Michael was competing towards third- and fourth-graders and was already exceedingly aggressive — the results of being the youngest of 4 siblings all concerned in youth sports activities. At the top of apply, when the coaches made the children run wind sprints and most simply wished to get them over with to go residence, Peter seen his son would shift gears.
“Michael had this look on his face and he was not going to lose. He was going to be first, and his life trusted it,” Peter mentioned, laughing. “I believed, this man’s wired slightly bit in another way than everybody else.”
Steve Sarkisian heard about it early. When the Texas coach arrived in Austin in 2021, he admits he did not actually know freshman Michael Taaffe. Sarkisian hadn’t recruited Taaffe whereas nonetheless at Alabama, as he had another stars on his present Longhorns workforce.
But then once more, not many coaches did. Taaffe was a non-scholarship walk-on who endured grueling tryouts simply to make it this far. But there was a typical thread within the early returns from Sarkisian’s first summer time, when he was attending to know his workforce earlier than coaches may watch player-run exercises.
“Every participant would come again, and I’d say, ‘Hey, how’d it go? How was 7-on-7?'” Sarkisian mentioned. “They at all times would deliver up Michael Taaffe. ‘Taaffe received one other interception in the present day. Taaffe did this, did that.’ And I’m like, who? I knew him … however I did not actually know him.”
Sarkisian is aware of him now, as does the remainder of the nation. This season, the 6-foot, 195-pound junior defensive again began all 14 video games for the Longhorns and was named a second-team All-America by the Associated Press after rating second on the workforce with 63 tackles (5.5 for loss) with two interceptions. Taaffe has damaged up seven passes, and has two sacks, a compelled fumble and a fumble restoration. And he has helped Texas — ranked 116th in cross protection final season — flip its secondary right into a energy, rating second nationally in passing yards allowed at 156.9 whereas permitting simply 13.3 factors per sport.
Taaffe has been a vocal chief, incomes a spot on the workforce’s management council earlier than he ever performed a sport in school. He has been a Texas evangelist, together with being the host for Arch Manning‘s recruiting go to, promoting him on what it means to be a Longhorn.
“I attempted to offer him my two cents of why he ought to come to Texas,” Taaffe mentioned.
“I stored getting in his ear slightly bit, and I believe the coaches seen that, in order that they put me with him…. It was a whole lot of one-on-one speak, about how are we going to get there?” Taaffe mentioned final 12 months of the go to. “Just me and him, how are we going to deliver Texas soccer to the place it must be?”
Taaffe has been a big-play star, together with grabbing an interception that arrange Texas’ landing within the 17-7 rivalry-renewing win over Texas A&M that earned the Horns a spot within the SEC championship sport and stored their playoff hopes alive.
And he is been a steadying pressure, even for nook Jahdae Barron, who gained the Thorpe Award as the most effective defensive again in school soccer. Barron credit Taaffe with main the cost — and protecting him in line, joking that he makes Taaffe mad on daily basis in apply.
“Taaffe, he simply retains all people going, irrespective of the adversity that we face,” Barron mentioned. “He’s at all times there simply harping on all people, simply ensuring we’re staying engaged and mentally targeted. That dude is wonderful…. He loves us unconditionally, irrespective of the errors we make, irrespective of if we get on his nerves.”
And Texas will want Taaffe’s versatility Jan. 1 within the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) towards Arizona State and its dynamic operating again Cam Skattebo, the primary FBS participant with 1,500 rush yards and 500 receiving yards in a season since 2016.
ON SATURDAY NIGHT, Michael Taaffe sealed Texas’ first-round 38-24 win towards Clemson, which was led by previous buddy and former Austin Westlake teammate Cade Klubnik. With 1:17 left within the fourth quarter and Clemson going through fourth-and-6 on the Texas 26, Taaffe put a giant hit on Tigers receiver T.J. Moore, forcing an incompletion and primarily ending the sport. He instantly ran to have fun with Bevo.
It was a second that Taaffe dreamed of as a child, when he hoped to turn out to be the fifth era of his household to attend Texas. His grandfather, Eddie Johnson, was an All-American swimmer for the Longhorns in 1957 and made positive Michael was steeped in Longhorn lore.
“He took the household to each sport,” Michael’s dad, Peter, mentioned. “We received there two hours earlier than, weren’t allowed to depart throughout halftime so they might watch the band. Growing up in Texas, that is simply what you research, American historical past and Texas historical past. And then for us, you additionally studied, by proxy, Texas soccer historical past.”
Michael grew up watching gamers like Justin Tucker and Sam Ehlinger star for each his highschool and for Texas, hoping to observe that path. He helped lead Westlake to Class 6A state championships in his junior and senior seasons, and had two interceptions of Southlake’s Quinn Ewers (his present teammate and quarterback) within the state title sport after the 2020 season.
But Taaffe did not have a simple street to highschool success. Westlake is a powerhouse, the type of place the place each child ran aggressive wind sprints on the finish of second-grade soccer apply. He was on the lower-level B groups in eighth and ninth grade, then the following 12 months, was on the sophomore workforce, thought of the B workforce of the junior varsity, based on his highschool coach, Todd Dodge.
Between his sophomore and junior years, he grew to about six toes tall and have become a starter on varsity. In his ultimate two seasons, he was the defensive MVP of Westlake’s state championship victories: as soon as as a nook and as soon as as a security.
“I’d enterprise to say that is the primary time that is ever occurred in 6A soccer historical past,” Dodge mentioned.
Dodge mentioned Taaffe was “our Travis Hunter,” as a result of he wanted him to additionally play broad receiver as soon as the 2020 playoff run began. Taaffe’s 47-yard catch from Klubnik within the state semifinals arrange the successful rating towards Galena Park North Shore, the No. 4 workforce in USA Today’s nationwide rankings. Taaffe completed the season with 60 tackles, 5 interceptions, 18 catches for 297 yards with 3 touchdowns, and 19 punt returns for 365 yards.
But his senior 12 months was 2020, and he could not make any school visits due to the pandemic. All he may present coaches was sport footage, so he was up towards a scarcity of curiosity.
“Not solely am I an ignored white defensive again that is small, but additionally it was throughout COVID and I could not present my potential at camps,” he advised former Longhorn stars Alex Okafor, Derrick Johnson and Jeremy Hills on the third & Longhorn podcast.
But he did have curiosity from Ivy League colleges, and FCS groups. Finally, in November, he received an FBS provide from Rice, and he dedicated. Around that very same time, Texas had a bye week, and the Taaffe and Ehlinger households, who have been shut buddies, spent the weekend collectively.
“Why aren’t you attempting to go to Texas?” Sam Ehlinger, then the Longhorns’ beginning quarterback, requested Taaffe, who mentioned he did not even assume it was an possibility.
“You completely have the power, you have simply received to allow them to know you need it,” Ehlinger responded.
Weeks later, after his second straight MVP efficiency within the state championship, he received a name from Texas. It wasn’t a scholarship provide, however a door was opened for a most well-liked walk-on spot, which does not assure something apart from the coaches admitting they know your identify. Taaffe bypassed a scholarship from Rice to guess on himself.
For Dodge, Taaffe’s journey is one he’ll use in teaching perpetually.
“He’s the proper story,” Dodge mentioned. “When you are a highschool soccer coach and also you’re operating a program that begins once they’re within the seventh grade and oldsters get bent out of form when their child’s on the B workforce once they’re in seventh, eighth or ninth grade, you place ol’ story like Michael Taaffe in your pocket and also you throw that on the market…. I imply if there’s anyone that ever earned themselves a scholarship and deserves one, it is Michael Taaffe.”
Taaffe was a semifinalist for this 12 months’s Burlsworth Trophy, given to the most effective participant nationally that started his profession as a walk-on, which was gained by Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher.
Marty Burlsworth, the older brother of the late Brandon Burlsworth, the All-America Arkansas offensive lineman who’s the namesake of the award, mentioned Taaffe’s story is much more necessary this 12 months with the controversy round the way forward for walk-ons in school soccer.
As a part of the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement that brings income sharing to varsity soccer gamers, there could possibly be a tough cap on roster sizes, which doesn’t exist now, resulting in uncertainty about what number of spots there will probably be for non-scholarship gamers sooner or later. The common school soccer roster at the moment is proscribed to 85 scholarships, however most groups have 125 or extra gamers. New restrictions will cap each workforce’s roster at 105, that means most groups should make cuts. Guess who would be the first to go?
“Walk-ons will at all times be fan favorites as a result of followers know the battle, and so they love and respect that,” Marty Burlsworth mentioned. “With rosters being so fluid, your walk-ons, for probably the most half, are the anchor of your workforce. They’re the material of school soccer. For these guys to have the ability to have the chance to pursue a soccer profession at their dream college is all the pieces. College soccer must preserve that.”
IN MARCH 2021, Jackson Coker, one in every of Taaffe’s finest buddies and a Westlake workforce captain who took him beneath his wing, died in a automobile accident on the best way to a morning exercise. In May of that 12 months, one other of Taaffe’s finest buddies, Jake Ehlinger, Sam’s brother and a fellow Texas walk-on, died of an unintentional drug overdose when somebody gave him a Xanax laced with fentanyl.
The Longhorns went 5-7, and Taaffe by no means noticed the sphere. He admits it was a tough 12 months, as a result of except for the private struggles, he was making performs in apply however could not enhance his spot on the depth chart as scholarship gamers with stars beside their names in recruiting rankings — Taafee had none — would get the advantage of the doubt.
But he was the place he wished to be, which made an enormous distinction. His “why” was at all times to return Texas to excellence, to be part of the identical sort of groups he watched within the stands as a toddler. And he wished to honor his buddies whereas doing it. Taaffe wears 16 as a tribute to Coker, and he wore a pocket sq. with Jake Ehlinger’s No. 48 on it as he walked into Kyle Field when the Longhorns performed the Aggies.
In 2022, Taaffe performed in 13 video games and began towards Kansas. The Longhorns improved to 8-5, and shortly earlier than the Alamo Bowl, Sarkisian ended a workforce assembly by matter-of-factly saying, “One last item: Michael Taaffe, you are on scholarship.” The room erupted.
🚨 Scholarship Alert 🚨
Congrats Michael Taaffe, you are now on scholarship! 🤘 @MichaelTaaffe4 pic.twitter.com/y2MEV3xcRI
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 17, 2022
Last season, he was honorable point out All-Big 12, beginning 9 video games, enjoying in 14, and serving to Texas win a Big 12 championship — its first convention title since 2009 — and make the College Football Playoff. This 12 months, he is an All-American attempting to guide the Longhorns again to a nationwide championship.
“[It’s] loopy to assume that I did envision this. I wished to play for the University of Texas, not simply to go well with out,” Taaffe mentioned earlier this season. “Texas had their struggles after we grew up and we watched Texas, however I additionally grew up watching ’09, the nationwide championship [game] towards Alabama, watching the ’08 workforce and the way they’d all their success, and Colt McCoy. I at all times envisioned once I got here right here to play right here that that was the objective. That wasn’t simply one thing that will be cool. That was the objective and that was what you labored for.”
Taaffe mentioned he’s not positive if he’ll return to highschool or give the NFL a shot after the season. He mentioned he did not come to Texas for any purpose apart from to attempt to win a nationwide championship. He’ll resolve his future after that.
First, he’ll have to assist the Horns get previous Arizona State, and he’ll be one of many focal factors in stopping Skattebo, who’s second nationally in compelled damaged tackles with 102 and has 1,023 yards after contact this season. He’s additionally averaging 43 yards per sport receiving from Sam Leavitt, and 55% of his receptions have resulted in first downs.
But Sarkisian has confidence in Taaffe, irrespective of how he received up to now. Texas is a recruiting powerhouse with an NIL price range that rivals all however a handful of groups nationally. The Longhorns can reload with transfers, equivalent to once they added Clemson switch Andrew Mukuba alongside Taaffe. But Sarkisian cannot get Taaffe out of the lineup. And he would not need to.
“He is a crucial part of our protection when he is on the sphere,” Sarkisian mentioned. “We play higher protection from a communication standpoint, a capability to be on the identical accord with the opposite DBs, with the linebackers, his playmaking potential, his preparation mentally, the physicality that he is been enjoying with.”
Sarkisian will not name Taaffe an overachiever. “We obtain no matter we do,” he mentioned. But he additionally mentioned Taaffe has been a residing instance for his workforce of what can occur while you get a chance and also you maximize it.
For his Taaffe’s dad, although, all the eye and accolades apart, he simply sees his son nonetheless operating towards the wind.
“He simply has to win,” Peter Taaffe mentioned. “Like I mentioned, his life is determined by it.”
