Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe shares his story with Texas Exes in Tyler
Michael Taaffe honors those who died at Camp Mystic with special tie during SEC Media Days
On Saturday, he was in East Texas, getting another chance to share his journey.
It was all part of the annual Texas Exes Tyler-Smith County Chapter scholarship dinner, hosted at the Hollytree Country Club.
This event helps raise money for East Texas students.
Every year, they invite a special guest speaker, but Taaffe is the first ever current football player to take part in this ceremony.
Taafe, who played high school ball for Austin Westlake, committed to Rice in 2020, but decided to go to U-T when they offered him a walk-on spot on the 40 acres.
He excelled in his red-shirt freshman season and earned a scholarship before the Alamo Bowl.
Since then, he has been an integral piece in bringing the Longhorns program back to prominence, and an example of what can be accomplished when you take a chance on yourself.
He was also grateful for this opportunity and excited to be here in the pineywoods.
Taaffe and the Longhorns will open the 2025 season with a rematch against last year's national champions, as Texas travels to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.
OSU knocked Texas out of the college football playoff in the semifinal round last year.
These two will kick the season off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30, and you can see all the action on FOX51.
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