Two Longhorns Earn Prestigious All-American Honors

Two players from the Texas Longhorns made the AP All-American team for their performance in the 2025 season

Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe celebrates after the Kentucky Wildcats | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The 2025 regular season is over for the Texas Longhorns, and with only their bowl game remaining on New Years Eve, their body of work is nearly complete. For two players on the defensive side of the ball, they earned a prestigious honor for their play in the 2025 season.

Safety Michael Taaffe and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., both made the AP All-American Team for their play this season. Both players were the only members of the Longhorns to made the AP All-American list in any capacity.

Hill was the lone member on the second-team, while Taaffe was a third-team designation. The SEC had a total of 18 players made the list between the three different teams.

Final Career Stamps

Oct 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates after the Kentucky Wildcats fail to score in overtime at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Both of the honors for the two longtime Longhorns comes as they both have announced they have played their final games in the Burnt Orange. Both Taaffe and Hill will be preparing for the NFL Draft, and neither will suit up for the Citrus Bowl game against the Michigan Wolverines on New Years Eve.

Despite battling an injury, Hill still turned in another productive season, marking his third straight one in the Forty Acres. While his numbers fail to match those he put up last season, he still finished with 69 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, three passes defensed, and three forced fumbles.

He was a wrecking ball across the middle of the field for the Longhorns, and while despite finishing with his fewest games played in a season, still made a drastic impact on the field for the Longhorns. This was Hill's second straight season making the AP All-American Second-Team after earning the same honors for his 2024 performance.

Taaffe finished his fifth and final season for the Longhorns, earning Third-Team All-American honors, who like Hill, battled injuries this season. In 10 games played he finished with 70 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two interceptions, and three passes defended.

Despite playing in his least amount of games in his career, the Longhorns long-time safety had one of his most productive seasons, finding a way to remain productive as the heartbeat of the defense and the leader of the secondary. This was Taaffe's second straight season earning AP All-American Honors after making the second-team in 2024.

Both Hill and Taaffe will sit out the final bowl game in preparations for their next step, but another distinguished knotch on their belt gives them a resume that rivals some of the best players the Longhorns have seen as of late.

The Longhorns will take on the Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 at 2:00 p.m. CT