Everyone knows that Longhorns S Michael Taaffe wears his heart on his sleeve, and today was no different for the former walk-on defensive back when he met with the media at the NFL Combine.
When he was at the podium this morning, Taaffe was asked about his collegiate journey as a former walk-on. His response left the crowd with huge smiles on their faces:
"It was a bumpy road for me, but I'm so grateful for every single opportunity that I had because, like, you learn so much down the road being a walk-on. You learn how to do it, in my belief, the right way. Nothing's given to you; you have to earn everything. You gotta earn respect, you gotta earn playing time, you gotta earn leadership, you gotta earn everything.
I was so blessed. The University of Texas gave me everything that I needed. The coaches gave me everything that I needed."
Texas DB Michael Taaffe on his journey as a walk-on pic.twitter.com/e1nRO5GQeR
— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) February 26, 2026
What a thoughtful, and passionate response by Taaffe and you can tell that he really meant everything that he said too.
Though Texas and its coaching staff indeed did quite a bit for him, he did a lot for the program as well over the past five years. Taaffe's been a top-notch leader for this team, and it's been proven time and time again since his sophomore season.
The rest of the defensive back room looked up to him, and he made sure that everyone was set on defense and knew what they were doing in-game. It's incredibly rare for a walk-on player to not only start at the FBS level, but to do so for three straight seasons is unheard of.
He finished his Texas career with 222 total tackles, 9.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 7 interceptions, 14 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in 53 games played.
Longhorns fans have no doubt that Michael Taaffe will succeed at the next level and wish him nothing but the absolute best going forward.