When incoming graduate safety Michael Taaffe walked into the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta for Southeastern Conference Media Days, he wore a burnt orange tie with a crisp blue suit.
At a distance, it’s just a plain, orange tie. But upon second glance, that tie features two long rows of cream-colored, embroidered letters running down the front.
It wasn’t long before the team captain faced questions about the letters. With phones and microphones directed toward his face, Taaffe looked straight into the camera and explained the meaning.
“These initials are of all the victims who passed away at Camp Mystic in the Texas floods of (Kerr) County,” he said. “I just wanted to shed light on something way more important than SEC Media Day, than football, than anything that’s going on right now in my life.”
Taaffe went on to point at each initial, naming the victims of the flood, from young campers to those killed trying to evacuate the girls, including the
two incoming UT students
who were camp counselors and the camp director.
“My heart goes out to all of them,” Taaffe said. “They were fighting for their lives at just eight years old — I don’t even know if I knew how to tie my shoes at eight, and they woke up and decided to fight for their lives.”
Taaffe wasted no time in honoring and supporting the victims of the Central Texas flood. In the aftermath of the July 4 disaster, Taaffe posted fundraisers on his
social media
and volunteered at a P. Terry’s location during the company’s 100% profit share, speaking about the flood and signing autographs to attract more customers.
“How do you not respect the guy?” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “The way he carries himself and the way he represents the University of Texas in our community, I think, is something to be admired.”
“Mookie”
has a stellar reputation as a Texas football player. The recent All-American second team member recorded 26 tackles in 2022, 48 in 2023 and 78 in 2024. He started in every game last season and has been a leading voice in the locker room for the past two years, even solidifying himself as starting quarterback Arch Manning’s honorary
big brother
.
And it all started when he decided to walk on at Texas, despite having initial offers from other schools.
It’s not the typical decision a fresh-out-of-high-school recruit would make. Why take a position as a preferred walk-on — where spots are highly competitive with no promise of a scholarship — over a guaranteed spot on the roster of another school?
As a born-and-raised Longhorn fan and former state champion at Austin’s Westlake High School, that question was nowhere to be found in Taaffe’s decision. The chance to wear burnt orange outweighed the idea of his name solidified on another team’s roster or the assurance of a free education.
“Being a Longhorn fan, growing up, bleeding burnt orange, this team matters more to me than anything else. … I’m willing to die for this team,” Taaffe told
Inside Texas
last October.
Taaffe’s unabashed love for Texas is fully reciprocated by the equally passionate Longhorn fan base. Mookie is a favorite with Texas enthusiasts, and it’s not just because of his skill on the field or his unique walk-on story. It’s because of his enthusiasm.
“
I really love Taaffe,” an anonymous fan posted on a
Texas football forum
after the Longhorns’ final game of the 2024-25 season against Ohio State. “He bleeds burnt orange and you can tell he embodies the culture. He definitely embodies ‘what can you do for Texas, not what can Texas do for you.’”
It’s an incredible story, one that Sarkisian admitted might be
“the coolest”
of all the players on his current roster. And it’s a tale of the symbiotic relationship between a college football team’s players and its fan base.
“The Texas fan base is so loyal … we know they show up week in, week out and they’re here to cheer for us,” Taaffe said. “It’s just like in Broadway, if you want a lot of viewers, you gotta put on a good show. We know if we want a lot of viewers, a lot of fans, we’ve got to go put on a good show. And win or lose, the Texas fanbase is always there for us.”
Now in Atlanta, it was Taaffe’s turn to be there for his fan base.
Camp Mystic counselors
Chloe Childress
and
Katherine Ferruzzo
were both on their way to the Forty Acres for the fall semester, and camp director Dick Eastland graduated as a Longhorn alumnus. Generations of Longhorn women attended and volunteered at Camp Mystic.
It’s only natural that Taaffe would take his moment in the spotlight to honor the flood victims who loved the Longhorns as much as he does. After all, Camp Mystic’s connection to Texas is intrinsic.
Just like Mookie’s.
