# Michael Taaffe

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**Michael Joseph Taaffe** (born February 18, 2003) is an American professional [football](/source/American_football) [safety](/source/Safety_(gridiron_football_position)) for the [Miami Dolphins](/source/Miami_Dolphins) of the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) (NFL). He played [college football](/source/College_football) for the [Texas Longhorns](/source/Texas_Longhorns_football) and was selected by the Dolphins in the fifth round of the [2026 NFL draft](/source/2026_NFL_draft).

## High school career

Taaffe was born in [Austin, Texas](/source/Austin,_Texas) where he attended [Westlake High School](/source/Westlake_High_School_(Texas)).[1] He played cornerback and [wide receiver](/source/Wide_receiver) in high school. As a senior, Taaffe recorded 60 tackles and five interceptions while catching 18 passes for 297 yards and three touchdown receptions.[2] Taaffe's most notable high school highlight is intercepting [Carroll Senior High School](/source/Carroll_Senior_High_School) and future Texas Quarterback [Quinn Ewers](/source/Quinn_Ewers) twice in their state championship game. Also, Taaffe helped lead Westlake to back-to-back state championship titles.[3] On November 5, 2020, Taaffe committed to [Rice](/source/Rice_Owls_football).[4] However, Taaffe was offered a walk-on spot at Texas and decided to accept the Longhorns offer.

## College career

### 2021 Season

Taaffe was a walk-on at Texas and saw no playing time during his freshman year.

### 2022 Season

When Taaffe was a redshirt freshman, he played in 13 games totaling 26 combined tackles. Prior to the [Alamo Bowl](/source/2022_Alamo_Bowl), Taaffe was granted a full scholarship by Texas head coach [Steve Sarkisian](/source/Steve_Sarkisian) on December 18, 2022.[5]

### 2023 Season

During Taaffe's sophomore season, he amassed a total of 48 tackles and 3 interceptions.[6] This led to Taaffe earning honorable mention All-Big 12 and a [Burlsworth Trophy](/source/Burlsworth_Trophy) nominee.[7][8]

### 2024 Season

During Taaffe's junior season, he earned SEC co-defensive player of the week and Burlsworth Trophy walk-on of the week honors.[9][10] Taaffe also earned second team [AP](/source/Associated_Press) All-American honors.[11] During the 2024 College Football Playoffs, a high hit by Taaffe led to the Big 12 commissioner to call for consistency in targeting penalty calls.[12] He ended the season with 78 tackles, 10 pass deflections, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 5 interceptions.[13]

### 2025 Season

Taaffe chose to return to Texas for his fifth and final year, forgoing the NFL draft.[14] After Week 3, he was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which honors 22 college football players for extraordinary commitment to community service.[15] In Week 6 against [Florida](/source/Florida_Gators_football), Taaffe recorded his first interception of the season.[16] After Week 7, he was named a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist.[17] In Week 8 against [Kentucky](/source/Kentucky_Wildcats_football), Taaffe suffered a thumb injury in the fourth quarter and missed the next two games.[18] At the end of October, Taaffe was named a semifinalist for the [Jim Thorpe Award](/source/Jim_Thorpe_Award).[19] On December 4, he was named to the SEC Football Community Service Team.[20] On December 8, Taaffe was recognized as a finalist for the [Burlsworth Trophy](/source/Burlsworth_Trophy) at the award ceremony, becoming the first Longhorn in program to be selected as a finalist.[21] At the end of the season, Taaffe was named to the [All-SEC](/source/List_of_All-SEC_football_teams) first team and won the [Wuerffel Trophy](/source/Wuerffel_Trophy).[22][23] On December 15, 2025, Taaffe declared for the NFL draft.[24]

### College statistics

Year Team GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Solo Ast Cmb TfL Sck Int Yds TD PD FR Yds TD FF 2021 Texas 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2022 Texas 13 13 13 26 0.5 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2023 Texas 14 28 20 48 2.5 0.0 3 45 0 2 0 0 0 0 2024 Texas 16 40 38 78 5.5 2.0 2 9 0 10 1 0 0 1 2025 Texas 10 38 32 70 1.0 1.0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Career 53 119 103 222 9.5 3.0 7 54 0 14 1 0 0 1

## Professional career

Taaffe was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 158th overall pick in the fifth round of the [2026 NFL draft.](/source/2026_NFL_draft)[25] He signed his four-year rookie contract worth $4.88 million.[26]

## Personal life

Taaffe is a [Christian](/source/Christian).[27]

## References

1. Brugler, Dane (April 8, 2026). ["The Beast: 2026 NFL Draft Guide"](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/the-beast-2026/). *[The Athletic](/source/The_Athletic)*. Retrieved April 8, 2026.

1. ["Michael Taaffe"](https://www.maxpreps.com/tx/austin/westlake-chaparrals/athletes/michael-taaffe/football/stats/?careerid=5320k2sufofvf). Max Preps.

1. ["Westlake secures third straight state championship after topping Denton Guyer"](https://www.kvue.com/article/sports/high-school/hs-football/westlake-texas-high-school-football-state-championship-recap/269-2ea3b2ea-b46c-4426-9b04-c805d5e581d4). KVUE. December 19, 2021.

1. ["Michael Taaffe"](https://247sports.com/player/michael-taaffe-46110323/). 247Sports.

1. ["The remarkable rise of Texas former walk-on S Michael Taaffe"](https://www.burntorangenation.com/2023/10/26/23930934/michael-taaffe-texas-longhorns-walk-on-arch-manning). Burnt Orange Nation. 26 October 2023.

1. ["Michael Taaffe"](https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/football/roster/michael-taaffe/13642). Texas Longhorns.

1. ["2023 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced"](https://big12sports.com/documents/2023/11/28//2023_All_Big_12_Release.pdf). Big 12 Sports. 28 November 2023.

1. ["No. 7/6 Football's Taaffe nominated for Burlsworth Trophy"](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2023/10/31/no-7-6-footballs-taaffe-nominated-for-burlsworth-trophy.aspx). Texas Longhorns. 31 October 2023.

1. ["Texas Longhorns DB Michael Taaffe Named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week"](https://www.si.com/college/texas/texas-longhorns-michael-taaffe-named-sec-co-defensive-player-of-the-week-01jba1n3ep64). Sports Illustrated. October 28, 2024.

1. ["Michael Taaffe named Burlsworth Trophy Walk-On of the Week"](https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/news/michael-taaffe-named-burlsworth-trophy-walk-on-of-the-week/). Inside Texas. October 29, 2024.

1. ["2024 AP All-America Team: Travis Hunter snares honors at three positions, SEC leads with six first-team picks"](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2024-ap-all-america-team-travis-hunter-snares-honors-at-three-positions-sec-leads-with-six-first-team-picks/). *CBS Sports*. December 16, 2024.

1. AP (2 January 2025). ["Big 12 commissioner calls for 'national standards' for calling targeting after controversial play"](https://apnews.com/article/big-12-targeting-texas-arizona-state-a5e6aa867b026d70e82e487d36a0736a//). *[Associated Press News](/source/Associated_Press_News)*

1. ["Michael Taaffe Career Stats - NCAAF"](https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/4880346/michael-taaffe). *ESPN*. Retrieved September 16, 2025.

1. Scruggs, Jordan (January 14, 2025). ["Texas safety Michael Taaffe to return to Longhorns for fifth and final season"](https://247sports.com/college/texas/article/texas-longhorns-football-safety-michael-taaffe-returning-fifth-season-2025-244100435/). *247Sports*. Retrieved September 16, 2025.

1. Tafolla, Grace (September 16, 2025). ["No. 8/7 Football’s Taaffe named to Allstate AFCA Good Works Team"](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/9/16/no-8-7-footballs-taaffe-named-to-allstate-afca-good-works-team). *University of Texas Athletics*. Retrieved September 16, 2025.

1. ["Michael Taaffe College Gamelog"](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/michael-taaffe-1/gamelog/9999). *College Football at Sports-Reference.com*. Retrieved October 14, 2025.

1. Tafolla, Grace (October 14, 2025). ["No. 21/17 Football’s Taaffe named Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist"](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/10/14/no-21-17-footballs-taaffe-named-jason-witten-collegiate-man-of-the-year-semifinalist). *University of Texas Athletics*. Retrieved October 14, 2025.

1. Brown, Chip (October 21, 2025). ["Sources: The timetable for Texas safety Michael Taaffe's return from thumb surgery"](https://247sports.com/college/texas/article/sources-texas-safety-michael-taaffe-recovering-from-thumb-surgery-258007671/). *247Sports*. Retrieved October 23, 2025.

1. Tafolla, Grace (October 28, 2025). ["No. 20/19 Football’s Taaffe tabbed Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist"](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/10/28/no-20-19-footballs-taaffe-tabbed-jim-thorpe-award-semifinalist). *University of Texas Athletics*. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

1. Tafolla, Grace (December 4, 2025). ["No. 14/14/13 Football’s Taaffe selected to SEC Football Community Service Team"](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/12/4/no-14-14-13-footballs-taaffe-selected-to-sec-football-community-service-team). *University of Texas Athletics*. Retrieved December 4, 2025.

1. Tafolla, Grace (December 8, 2025). ["No. 14/14/13 Football’s Taaffe recognized as a finalist for 2025 Burlsworth Trophy"](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/12/8/no-14-14-13-footballs-taaffe-recognized-as-a-finalist-for-2025-burlsworth-trophy). *University of Texas Athletics*. Retrieved December 9, 2025.

1. ["2025 All-SEC Football Team presented by Allstate Announced"](https://www.secsports.com/news/2025/12/2025-all-sec-football-team-presented-by-allstate-announced). secsports. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.

1. Tafolla, Grace (December 12, 2025). ["No. 14/14/13 Football’s Taaffe wins 2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy"](https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/12/12/no-14-14-13-footballs-taaffe-wins-2025-allstate-wuerffel-trophy). *University of Texas Athletics*. Retrieved December 12, 2025.

1. Goodridge, Gerald (December 15, 2025). ["Texas safety Michael Taaffe declares for NFL Draft"](https://www.burntorangenation.com/texas-longhorns-football/99121/texas-safety-michael-taaffe-declares-for-nfl-draft). *Burnt Orange Nation*. SB Nation. Retrieved January 5, 2026.

1. ["Miami Adds Seven Players in the Final Day of the 2026 NFL Draft"](https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/miami-adds-seven-players-in-the-final-day-of-the-2026-nfl-draft). *Miamidolphins.com*. April 25, 2026. Retrieved April 25, 2026.

1. ["Michael Taaffe Contract Details"](https://overthecap.com/player). *Over the Cap*. Retrieved May 7, 2026.

1. ["Compelled by Purpose: The Michael Taaffe Story at Texas"](https://www.samacho.com/resources/compelled-by-purpose-the-michael-taaffe-story-at-texas). *Sam Acho*. August 13, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.

## External links

- [Miami Dolphins bio](https://www.miamidolphins.com/team/players-roster/michael-taaffe/)
- [Texas Longhorns bio](https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/football/roster/michael-taaffe/13642)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Michael Taaffe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Taaffe) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Taaffe?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.