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At the Senior Bowl, Michael Taaffe Steps Into His Next Role for Texas

by: RT Young01/29/26

Michael Taaffe’s time as a Longhorn player might be done, but his comments after a Senior Bowl practice in Mobile, Alabama, show he’s already embracing his next role with Texas. And I’m not talking about being a Horn alum in the NFL—though I hope the Westlake product and former All-American has a long career on Sundays.

I mean as the Longhorns’ ultimate ambassador. It’s the role he was born to star in. So watch out, Matthew McConaughey.

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Reflecting on his five years on the Forty Acres, Taaffe told the media he has regrets about how his time in Austin ended, but he also cast a ray of hope toward the Longhorns’ future. “When someone looks back on Michael Taaffe, it’s not all the plays he made. It’s the guy that he was. I hope that I left that and I hate that I couldn’t get the job done, but the other No. 16, I got a good feeling in him.”

The “other 16” obviously refers to Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning, who Taaffe once relentlessly recruited to Austin back when he was just a walk-on vying for playing time. The DBU legend ended up making his own mark on the legacy of No. 16, a number also worn by past Horn greats like quarterback James Street. Taaffe has always represented something that feels like it’s fading in college athletics—a love of the name on the front of the jersey—and it seems like he’s always pointed to that before ever wanting credit himself.

He famously returned to Austin for a fifth year in 2025, hoping to add a national championship to his résumé after falling short in two straight semifinals. But Texas fell well short of that goal in a disappointing campaign filled with as much bad luck as toe-stubbings. Another player might lament that, or act like national title dreams ended with their exit. Not Taaffe.

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He was quick to remind everyone of the hope and promise that still exists in Austin, even without him. Remember, he chose to come to Texas and play for Steve Sarkisian even when the prospects were bleak. His debut season was a losing one, and he played a part in a massive turnaround which saw Texas compete for championships. Meaning there’s hardly anyone more qualified to serve up such a dose of optimism about what’s possible here. And although in this case he was pointing to Manning and next season, I have a feeling it won’t be the last time Taaffe says something like this. He’ll be doing it forever.

Watch Taaffe and fellow Longhorn Malik Muhammad for the American Team in The Senior Bowl on NFL Network at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 31. The game will be played at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama.

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