The Next Texas Longhorns Safety Who Will Follow Michael Taaffe to NFL

The Texas Longhorns program has produced many talented ball hawks in the secondary, with Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba being instant impact players during their rookie years in the NFL last season.

A lot of the success has come from the mentorship of assistant coach Blake Gideon, coaching the secondary. Now that Gideon returned to the Forty Acres after one year as the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, the Texas secondary will be impressive heading into 2026.

While Michael Taaffe has now entered the NFL ranks after being a fifth-round pick by the Miami Dolphins, the Longhorns have a couple of guys in the safety room who could potentially add their names to next year’s draft.

Jelani McDonald is Ready to Take the Next Step

Out of the returners in the secondary room, Jelani McDonald has the potential to add to the ever-growing list of talented safeties to make the jump to the NFL from Texas and become an impactful member in the secondary.

McDonald, heading into his senior season with the Longhorns, is expected to make a major jump in performance, building off his junior campaign, where he started in all 13 games for Texas.

In his first full year as a starter, McDonald was a consistent threat to opposing quarterbacks with his ball-hawking skills, making their lives hard when looking downfield. He logged three interceptions on the year and three pass deflections, along with picking up one fumble.

After minimal playing time in his freshman and sophomore seasons, recording just 35 tackles, McDonald exploded for 80 tackles, 49 of them being solo tackles.

Although he could have declared for this year’s NFL draft as a draft-eligible junior, McDonald opted to stay for his senior year just before the Longhorns Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup with the Michigan Wolverines

The announcement settled some fears, boosting the Texas secondary that was losing Taaffe and Malik Muhammed. He will be the only returning starter in the safety room heading into the 2026 season.

Standing at 6-foot-2-inches and 199 pounds, McDonald possesses the frame of an elite safety that can play both strong and free safety if needed.

With a year of Gideon coaching the secondary, McDonald should be expected to be one of the first safeties taken off the board in the 2027 NFL if he can maintain his standard of play next season for the Longhorns.

Texas will open up the 2026 season against the Texas State Bobcats on Sept. 5 at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

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