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Michael Taaffe, a major part of Texas’s secondary for the past few seasons, announced on Tuesday night that he’s returning to Austin for another run with the Longhorns in 2025.
Taaffe took to his social media account to send a message to Texas fans. The written message was only two words long, reading “Longhorn nation …” But what came after that was the key, with Taaffe adding a “hook ’em horns” emoji at the end. A 1-minute, 17-second emotional video was attached to the social media post that began by showing Taaffe walking out of the tunnel at historic Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Taaffe had a standout junior season in Austin in 2024, piling up 78 tackles, 40 of them solo, with 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 2 interceptions. The season before, Taaffe had 48 tackles, 28 solo, and 3 interceptions.
During both seasons, Taaffe was an integral part of Texas’s defense. In both seasons, he helped lead the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff semifinals. But during both seasons, Taaffe and Texas fell short of the ultimate goal, losing both semifinal games, including last week’s heartbreaking semifinal loss to Ohio State.
So, in 2025, Taaffe will give himself another shot to help the Longhorns finally finish the job.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.