The moment was familiar.
Then-junior safety Michael Taaffe vented his feelings in the tunnel shortly after the team’s defeat to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals in January 2025.
After a last-ditch Texas red zone conversion effort ended in an Ohio State pick-six, the Longhorns had just fallen to the Buckeyes 28–14. For a team that was once again only a few yards away from a chance to compete in the National Championship for the first time since 2009, it was a blow that felt nearly personal.
The Longhorns had suffered a familiar defeat to Washington just a year prior. Texas lost in the semifinals for the second consecutive year.
Reviews of Taaffe’s response at the conclusion of the previous season were not entirely unanimous.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian, however, did not view the tunnel incident as a sign of weakness or poor sportsmanship. After a heartbreaking defeat, it was just a moment of competition that will continue into the Texas 2025–2026 season.
At the 2025 Southeastern Conference Media Days, Sarkisian stated, “I can assure you that it hurts these guys when they walk into the locker room following a semifinal loss.” We never forget that sensation.
Texas has been close to winning a national championship for two consecutive years. A failed fourth-down convert with the pressure of an even game with everything on the line closed the door for the Longhorns for the second consecutive year.
This time, the Longhorns want it all.
Winning a natty is what I desire. We’ve reached the doorstep twice in a succession, which is too many times, in my opinion. During a media appearance in late July, junior wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. stated, “I want to win a national championship.”
The SEC is generally considered to be the hardest conference in college football, and Texas is getting ready to start its second season there. The Longhorns are hoping to make even more of an impact this season than they did in their debut.
Sarkisian stated, “We have winners in our locker room, and we specifically and purposefully recruited winners into our locker room.” Now that we’re back to work, the team’s leadership is full of winners, and they want to focus on winning a title this season. That’s the objective.
Sarkisian has undoubtedly been successful in attracting and keeping exceptional, skilled players. However, without the desire to achieve, talent is meaningless, and this Texas club is hungry, to put it simply.
Will we be content with that achievement or will we continue to push ourselves to be better? “Taaffe said.” My constant goal is to lift the bar and realize that, in order to continue striving for greatness, we must reset it annually.
The Longhorns have now set their eyes on winning a championship that they have lost twice in a succession. The fight against complacency has already been won in the locker room with a group of guys that are used to winning.
According to Sarkisian, we must enjoy the trip, be in the present, and eventually complete the task. We have been intimate. We’ve been there. For the past two years, we have been rapping on the door. But in order to do that, we must approach the pinnacle we’re seeking one step at a time.
