Longhorns Country

Michael Taaffe: Texas' Walk-On Hosted Arch Manning for Official Visit

The Longhorns' final push toward convincing Manning to commit to Texas might've came from the most unlikely of sources
Zach Dimmitt|
Michael Taaffe: Texas' Walk-On Hosted Arch Manning for Official Visit
Michael Taaffe: Texas' Walk-On Hosted Arch Manning for Official Visit

Arch Manning's commitment to the Texas Longhorns Thursday came on the heels of his fourth and final visit to the Forty Acres on June 17. The trek to Austin marked an official visit for the 2023 Isidore Newman quarterback. 

But an unlikely subject of persuasion for Manning seemed to have come from his host on the visit. 

Not star running back Bijan Robinson. Not breakout 2021 receiver Xavier Worthy. And no, not the projected starting quarterback for next season, Quinn Ewers. Texas walk-on defensive back and Westlake (Austin) product Michael Taaffe hosted Manning during his visit and seemed to have played a significant role in making the quarterback prodigy feel convinced that UT could be his new home. 

So, who is Taaffe?

An Austinite through and through, the 6-0, 187-pound redshirt freshman spent time on offense, defense, and special teams for coach Todd Dodge and the Chaps at Westlake, winning back-to-back state titles in 2020 and 2021. 

The Longhorn connections run deep, as Taaffe intercepted Ewers twice in Westlake's 52-34 win over Southlake Carroll in 2020. He won Defensive Player of the Game in both state title wins. 

"That quarterback they have is one hell of a player and frankly I was a little nervous," Taaffe said of Ewers after the win. "They kicked us in the mouth with those first couple drives. We had to ask ourselves 'do we want them to keep it up or our we going to stop them?' We did a better job the second half." 

Taaffe accepted a walk-on spot to Texas for the 2021 season after doing it all during his senior year. He totaled 60 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, five picks, seven quarterback hurries, and one fumble recovery on defense. He also tallied 18 catches for 297 yards and three touchdowns while returning 19 punts for 365 yards. 

Taaffe didn't get any playing time for the Longhorns and coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski this past season, but he saw action in the Orange-White game in April. Fixing to serve an important depth role in the secondary this season, he could soon be finding himself on scholarship by season's end. 

And after playing a classy host for Manning, Taaffee's Austin roots and walk-on story has the makings of him becoming a Texas fan favorite this season. 

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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