Longhorns Country

WATCH: Longhorns Give Walk-On DB Michael Taaffe Full Scholarship

The local Austin product received an early Christmas present from the Texas Longhorns.
Zach Dimmitt|
WATCH: Longhorns Give Walk-On DB Michael Taaffe Full Scholarship
WATCH: Longhorns Give Walk-On DB Michael Taaffe Full Scholarship

In the midst of the holiday season, the Texas Longhorns are in the spirit of giving.

Ahead of the team's appearance in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 against the Washington Huskies, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian delivered some major news to walk-on defensive back Michael Taaffe in a straightforward manner, as he ended a team meeting by informing Taaffe he'll now be on full scholarship.

Taaffe recorded a tackle in eight games during the regular season, totaling 24 tackles and 12 solo. He also had one pass defense in the 41-34 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Oct. 22.

An Austin native, Taaffe attended Westlake High School and won back-to-back state titles in 2020 and 2021.

The Longhorn connections run deep, as Taaffe intercepted Texas quarterback Quinn 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 with the Chaps. 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.

No. 20 Texas and No. 12 Washington kickoff on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. CT.

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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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