Sam Acho: Welcome to the Sam Acho Podcast, where we talk about faith,
family, football, and finances.
We go first.
We give space and we grow hope.
And today, as usual, we have a very, very special guest.
Clif Marshall: Today, Sam, we have Michael Taf, a college football
player from the Texas Longhorn.
Michael attended Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
He played cornerback and wide receiver in high school.
He helped lead Westlake to back to back state championship titles, and on
November 5th, 2020, TAF committed to rice.
However, he was also offered a walk on spot at Texas and decided
to accept the Longhorns offer.
After proving his worth, Michael was granted a full scholarship.
By Texas head coach Steve Kian in 2022.
During tap, during TAFs, uh, 2022 season, he earned AP All American Honors.
This season, he has considered one of the top safeties in the country
and a projected NFL draft pick.
So Michael, welcome to the Sam Acho podcast.
Michael Taaffe: Yeah.
Thanks for having me on, guys.
I really appreciate it.
Sam Acho: No, we're glad to be on with you.
And, uh, one thing we do, we talk about adversity, but we also talk about joy.
And the first question I have, Michael, is what coach in your career,
collegiately high school, peewee, has impacted you the most and why?
Michael Taaffe: Yeah, that's a, that's a tough question just because every coach.
In my journey and my steps, um, chasing, you know, perfection on the football field
and knowing that I'll never achieve that.
Um, but helping me try to chase that perfection has, has made an impact.
Um, the first two people I would mention is my, uh.
DB's coach at Westlake and my defense coordinator, um, uh, coach Jones and
Coach Salazar, just everything that they did, like, they were always
demanding perfection outta you.
And, um, they got all that little kid talk outta you.
You know, when you know, they tell you to keep your eyes on your man
and you want to go try to look at the quarterback when your guy's running a
double move and you're like, no coach.
I know what to do.
And he's grabs your helmet and he looks at you straight in the eyes and he's like.
No, you listen to me, you respect, um, people that are
trying to coach you and lead you.
And that's kinda what, what made me who I am now today, um, going into
my next steps, but also Coach Gideon.
Um, he was a long time, you know, great Longhorn player here, um, but also just
a great coach for me the last four years.
Uh, he just got a job as a DC at Georgia Tech, so I won't be with him this
year, but I got a good coach coming in.
That's a legend in the 40 acres.
But, uh, but yeah, coach Gideon just taught me everything, how to be a
man before, how to be a good football player and, um, you don't see a lot
of that and this day and age in D one football, so couldn't thank him enough.
Clif Marshall: Michael, you were a walk-on to start your career at Texas.
I mean, as a matter of fact, you passed up a full athletic
scholarship to Rice to be a walk-on.
Why did you bet on yourself?
Michael Taaffe: That's a good question.
That's a question I ask myself every day.
Um, you know, I think just the motivation, and Sam definitely can
hit on this, but the motivation that you have when you put on that burnt
orange, it's just a, I can't explain it.
It's a sense of pride that nobody else in the country gets to wear that
certain particular burnt orange color.
Um, and you represent so much.
Greater than yourself.
You represent the great state of Texas.
You represent, um, the pride of being a fifth generation Longhorn and myself.
Um, you just represent so much more than yourself and, um, we weren't,
everybody knows we weren't in a great spot as a university, as a,
as a team on the football team, uh, when I joined the, the squad.
And so.
My mission was to try to get Texas back to where it always belongs.
And that's the top of the pedestal, that's national Championship
talk every single year.
And um, so when I was going, I was like, nothing's about me right now.
I'm working for such a greater purpose.
And, and it pushed me.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Michael, it's interesting, so I, I, you talked about Coach Gideon, I played with,
with Blake Gideon for three years, and I know you went a couple of those years.
One of those years we went to a national championship.
Blake actually had an interception in the national championship game.
You talk about going to Texas and having it go back to the top.
I played for Mac Brown and he always said that it's a 40 year decision.
Not a four year decision why?
Or not even why, but what has been the impact that the University
of Texas has had on you during your time at the university?
Michael Taaffe: Man being able to, to.
Have conversations like this.
Um, I'm so blessed to be in a room sitting with Cliff Marshall and Sam Acho.
Um, and I don't think, to be honest, I don't think I would've had that
opportunity if I went elsewhere.
Um, but the platform that Texas offers is just so incredible.
Um, and, and having these conversations, having conversations with CEOs of really.
Um, insane businesses that I would never think I would have an opportunity to do.
And all they want to talk about is football and, and yourself.
And I'm like, guys, I wanna talk about y'all.
I wanna learn about what y'all do.
Y'all have, you know, y'all have the game of life.
Y'all have crushed it.
Um, and so everything that, uh, Texas offers networking
wise has been such an impact.
But also on the field, I think the brotherhood that I've, um, that I've made.
With all my, my teammates from year one to year five.
It's so cool.
And, uh, y'all both know this, but how do you get a team from all over the country,
from all over different backgrounds?
I, I grew up in a two family household and a lot of the guys on my, on my
defensive back squad, they didn't have a father or mother growing up.
It's like, how do y'all become friends?
And that's through football, that's through faith, that's through communion.
And um, it's so cool.
And I wouldn't get that opportunity if I wasn't at Texas.
Clif Marshall: You mentioned your faith.
I just wanna know how does your faith play into your life?
Not only as a football player, but just as a person.
Michael Taaffe: Yeah, it's everything.
Um, as a person, first it reminds me who's my.
Everything, who's my identity?
Um, because a lot of times y'all both know this, a lot of times being in
the football platform, everybody tells you how great you are or everybody
tells you how terrible you are.
Um, and lucky enough, I was a All American last year, so right now
everybody's telling me how good I am, how they can't wait to see me on the
field, this, this, this, this, this.
But God's telling me, Hey, no, I'm on top.
And you should serve me.
And that helps me be a, a family man first, because now I'm not
expecting people to tell me, Hey, you're so good at this.
You're so good at this.
I'm like.
No, I'm just as broken as every single one of y'all.
Uh, and, and my faith is the only reason that I have that, that
approach on the football field.
Um, I think, Sam, you probably could attest this more, you know, just being
in that national championship talk and, and not finishing the mission, but it's.
It's the number one thing that keeps me going when everybody on Twitter is
saying that you're not good enough.
You shouldn't be on the field, you're a walk-on.
Um, and it just helps me keep going to know that no matter what
people are saying, God knows my ultimate plan and everything that
I do, I'm gonna give him the glory.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
How does it help you?
Like how, because I'm, there's people listening.
It's like, man, that sounds awesome, but man, they, they probably
struggle with the same thing.
How does your faith help you keep the main thing?
The main thing?
Michael Taaffe: Yeah.
Uh, it's tough.
It's, it's, it's a.
Ongoing battle every single day.
Um, but knowing that what it says in the word that nothing on this earth is gonna
matter in, in eternal life, um, nothing on this earth is, you know, permanent.
It's all temporary.
Um, and so I can be a really, really good football player, um, but.
The end of the day all that's gonna happen is I'm gonna be in the record books.
Maybe some people will remember me, maybe some people won't.
Um, and that's, that's okay.
That's, I know that because of my faith and how it helps me is I go every single
day knowing that, like I said earlier, I'm gonna try to chase perfection.
I know that I'm not gonna get it because God and Jesus is the
only one that has walked on this earth and lived a perfect life.
Clif Marshall: a great word, Michael.
Um, on this podcast, we like for our guests to share kind of their
testimony or in other words, a test that they've been through in life that
has become their testimony because I believe that pain has purpose.
And God doesn't cause pain, but he can use pain to draw us closer to him.
Can you describe, uh, for our listeners the greatest adversity that you've had
in your life and how at the end of that it's really helped you as a person?
Michael Taaffe: Yeah, for sure.
Um, adversity's, the, the number one thing in, in my life, I think, um, just starting
on the football field, uh, before, not a lot of people know this, but before.
The whole walk on and had to make it from the bottom to the top.
Uh, in high school I was placed on the freshman B team my first year and
I, you know, my goal was to go D one.
And so that was the worst team you could be on.
And then my sophomore year I was placed on the JV B team.
So, not varsity, not JBA, but JVB.
And I'm sitting here still only thinking about my goals, not
thinking about what's in front of me.
I'm, all I'm thinking about is my goals.
And I'm like, if you wanna go D one football, uh, how are you gonna go play
D one if you can't even beat out varsity or JBA team guys on your own team?
Um, and this is such a small community compared to what the nation, you
know, is, is competing against.
And so for me it was, it was tough to climb from JVB team to, to varsity, to
state championship, to now, um, being a, a guy on the University of Texas roster.
But I think it was, it goes back to my faith and what I believed in and,
um, how I approached the game of life.
Um, so it taught me a, a ton.
It taught me that.
Nothing that you do in this life is, is worthwhile.
Everything that you can dream of you can accomplish.
Um, and anything that I was exposed to in my life is everything
that I want to accomplish.
Um, and so all those dreams I think are attainable and that's how I live
my life because of my adversity.
Um, on the flip side, uh.
Life.
Two of my best friends passed away, uh, in 67 days.
So Jackson Coker, he's the reason why I wear, uh, number 16 on the football field.
And then Jake Gallinger was poisoned, uh, of fentanyl and got laced.
Um.
When he was just taking a, a pill that he takes every single
night to, to go to sleep.
And so for me, uh, to answer your question, to be, to be honest, I don't
know the good that has come outta that.
Uh, and that's something that I struggle with every day in
my faith is like, I don't know.
I, I still don't know.
And I try to go back in the word and it gives me comfort and it makes me
understand that it's not my plan.
My perfect plan doesn't exist.
It's God's perfect plan.
But that's something that, um.
The good that's come outta that individually for me is knowing that
when I step on that field, I've got 16 and 48 with me every step of the way.
And you don't want to touch the line, you wanna go be selfish.
They're the first ones, not my teammates.
They're the first ones telling me in my head, Hey dude,
go back and run full speed.
You didn't.
You BS that rep.
And that's really cool to know that I got angels looking down on me.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Clif Marshall: Wow.
Sam Acho: Michael, you, we recently saw each other at at
SEC Media Day and two things.
Number one, you had a clean looking suit on.
You also had this burnt orange tie with initials on the tie.
My first question is, what was the meaning behind that tie?
Michael Taaffe: Yeah.
Um, everybody knows what happened in the, the Texas flooding.
Um, so one of those camps was Camp Mystic an all girl faith-based camp.
Um.
In 27, uh, 27 people died.
26 girls one Um, camp director, he was a, a Texas fan.
He had season tickets on the 50 yard line, uh, for all, all, all home games.
Um, and he was the camp director.
His name was Dick Eastland, but.
You know, there was two counselors that should be recognized as
heroes that, that passed away.
Two girls that were actually going to attend the University of Texas next year.
Um, so they were getting ready.
They were, I already had their, their dorm picked out.
They were going through Rush.
Um, and for them, all they wanted to do was go serve.
Go serve Christ and be a, a leader in this.
Can't miss a community.
Um.
And they woke up and they turned from having to be counselors to
having to be heroes and saviors.
Um, and so I wanted to remember them.
Now, the other, uh, let's see, 24, 25, uh, initials on that, on
that tie, were 8-year-old girls.
Um.
Sam Acho: Mm
Michael Taaffe: That man, they thought the worst thing that would happen to them
in the, at this camp, uh, was maybe I, you know, hit my knee, uh, on the ground
and I, I scraped my knee and I gotta go see the nurse to get a bandaid, but
they woke up at 4:00 AM eight years old.
Um, I don't know what I was doing at eight, but not, not thinking
about having to, to save my life.
And they had to go try to fight for their life and.
That is so much more important than football, than SEC than anything
that we do on our platform.
And I wanted to show the country, um, that those girls
should be remembered as heroes,
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Well thank you for sharing.
Another question you mentioned earlier about Jake Inger,
um, and not understanding why
Michael Taaffe: right?
Sam Acho: recently you were, uh, nominated for the Allstate A FCA War Full Trophy
and the Allstate a FCA Good Works team.
Part of the reason, I believe is because of some of the work you're
doing with Fentanyl awareness.
What have you done in response to the tragedy?
With Jake.
Michael Taaffe: Yeah, ever since it's happened, everything that I've
done has tried to be action oriented.
Um, I've tried to do everything that I can to spread the awareness because
it's a, it's an interesting, um.
Thing that's going on in, in our lives where people are, are taking these pills
that they think are safe or are doing these drugs that, you know, they're just
trying to have fun and, and no, I don't, I don't condone drugs, but I know that
people are human beings and they mess up.
And the worst thing that they think is, oh man, maybe this, you know, will, will
make me not feel good in the morning.
Um, but they, they end up not waking up.
Um, and it's because people poison the drugs.
And so it's so relevant in my day-to-day life with all my buddies,
you know, that are in that atmosphere.
And so everything that I want to do is try to spread awareness so that
nobody else has to answer a phone call and say, Hey, your son, your
brother, your friend didn't wake up.
Clif Marshall: Michael, I wanted to ask you, um, Sam and I, we talk
often about Proverbs 27 17 and that says, as iron sharpens iron.
So one man sharpens another who is in your inner circle, um, at Texas.
How do you grow in your faith every day?
Is it a, a, a teammate or is it a group of teammates that lead a Bible study together
or a church service that you go to?
How do you grow in your faith amongst your teammates at Texas?
Michael Taaffe: Yeah, that's a great question.
Um, so we just recently started a player led Bible study, um, and me and Trevor
Goby, he's a o lineman, left tackle.
Um.
We've really jumped on it and tried to start it ourselves.
And it's been so cool the turnout that all of our players and our teammates
have wanted to join, have asked to join, um, have just showed up and listened.
Um, and we, we start it every single day as, Hey, we're not perfect.
Um, we're gonna fail.
And that's all right.
We're, we're in this together.
We're trying to figure out how to, how to get.
To where we're all going.
Um, how to, how to live a life, how to walk in the light of the Lord.
Um, and so we started like that.
And we also started with no matter who you are.
What you've done, who you say you are, or, um, what people say about you.
I hope this is a place where you can just come rest, rest in God's word, rest in
God's love and his mercy, um, because that's who he is as a father for us.
And then we talk about everything that's on our mind.
Um, why did I miss this tackle to, to lose the game?
Why did I throw this interception?
Why did I drop this pass?
Why is everything good going in my life?
Why does it feel like, you know, we're.
We're ranked number one when we haven't earned it yet.
Everything that, you know, football players have to
go through time management.
We, we talk about it and we hit on it.
Sam Acho: Talk about the Bible study.
What is your life verse?
Michael Taaffe: Yeah.
Um, that's a great question.
I want, I want to hear from y'all, um, after I, I answer,
but mine's collation 3 23.
Um, and it goes something like work hardily.
For God and not for man because God gives you the inheritance.
Um, and actually Jake's mom was the first person to share that to me.
Yeah.
So we're going to our first.
Yeah, first fall camp.
And she sent it to me and she said, Hey, Mookie, uh, that's my nickname.
Um, she said, Hey, Mookie, if, if you live your life like this verse, I
guarantee you good's gonna come out of it.
Um, and she always says, I love you, like, like my own son.
And, um, go get 'em.
So it's, it's an awesome verse.
I try to live by every day.
Sam Acho: That's so good.
We gotta share ours before we share ours.
How'd you get the nickname, Mookie?
How'd you, where did Mookie come?
Michael Taaffe: Yeah, it's pretty funny.
So, uh, another coach that totally impacted my life was Coach
Dodge, my head coach at Westlake.
He was a famous Texas, uh, Texas high, high school coach.
But so Mookie was always my nickname growing up.
Um, my dad came up with it and so the Ehlingers were uh, like
our best family friends and Coach Dodge hadn't known it yet.
Um, but we were sitting at the Sugar Bowl watching Sam play
Sam Ehlinger um, play Georgia.
I think that was 2019 Sugar Bowl.
And it was our family, the Ehlingers and Coach Dodge.
And we were just eating at a place before the game, and Miss Ellinger was like, Hey,
Mookie, can you pass me the, the ketchup or the salt and pepper or something?
And Coach Dodge was like, Mookie.
Like, what's that?
And we explained it to him and he loved it.
And so ever since, uh, that, like, he would go on radio, um, shows, he
would go, every little news article, he would say, Mookie, Mookie, Mookie.
And he wouldn't call me Michael.
He would just call me Mookie.
And, uh, coach Dodge is such a family oriented guy that, um, it
got to Texas and Coach Sark got a hold of it and Coach Gideon and the
radio, uh, host got a hold of it.
And so it's just gone from there.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
That's so good.
Uh, well, I'm gonna share my life, life verse and then Cliff's gonna
share his, and, uh, we have a segment we call the CliffNotes.
And so usually when we end the show, we love to share some CliffNotes
that we heard and learned from you.
And so I'll start with my life verse, my life verse.
You said yours was.
I think Colossians 3 23 minus Romans four 20 to 22.
And it says, um, for he did not waver at the promise of God through
unbelief, but he strengthened his faith.
He gave glory to God and he was fully convinced that what God had promised he
was also able to perform and therefore it was accounted to him as righteousness.
verse is talking about Abraham not wavering at at God's promise.
And so for me, that verse has meant everything to me.
Whether I was in high school, I went to a small high school in Dallas, I
had 80 or 90 people in my graduating class from going from there to Texas
and not knowing if I'd make it or not, and then all of a sudden getting to
Texas and getting a chance to play.
And then the dreams of the NFL and the dreams of being a husband and a father.
It's like there's so many times of doubt, but it's like, nah, he didn't waver.
And so for me, Romans four 20 to 22 is my life verse.
Cliff, what is your.
Clif Marshall: Great question, Sam.
I was in the NFL Michael when I was 23 years old as a
strength and conditioning coach.
Probably the youngest coach in the NFL, but I was also a.
Very young believer, and I'll never forget one of the Bengals players that I
was training in the weight room one day said, cliff, what is your life verse?
And I didn't have one.
I knew a few verses, but I didn't necessarily have a life verse.
So I began searching for that and I came up on Proverbs three, five
and six, and it says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and do
not lean on your own understanding.
Acknowledge God in all you do, and he will make your path straight.
And I've leaned on that verse throughout, throughout the, um, throughout my
life in good times and also in bad.
And it's really brought me, um, great perspective and fulfillment.
Michael Taaffe: Oh man.
I love that.
That was, uh, me and Jada's verse last year.
Uh, JDA Baron.
That's awesome.
I love it.
Every time.
Time that we would, um, you know, either make a great play or make a
bad play, we would grab each other's helmets and just say Proverbs.
Um, and that's, wow.
That's, that's awesome that, that verse is so impactful.
So I appreciate y'all sharing that.
Sam Acho: That's so good.
Well, before we let you go, Michael Cliff, I gotta hear from you.
What are the cliff notes?
The lessons learned from?
Our time with Michael Taf.
Clif Marshall: Well, the Clif note that I wrote down is, is a great
one for all of us, and, but it's specific to Michael's journey.
Uh, specific to Michael's story, it's, uh, the Clif note is God
doesn't call the qualified.
He qualifies the called And the reason that I share that with you, Michael,
is because as you shared with us today, being on the JVB team becoming
a college football, All-American right?
As you look back on that, how do you explain that story?
It's your hard work, it's your dedication, it's your faith, but more importantly,
it's a story of God choosing you.
be because God doesn't call the qualified.
He qualifies the called.
And he's qualified you to play at the highest level at one of the
greatest schools in the country.
And I pray this year you have great success for the Texas Longhorns
because I know that you'll give God all the glory, honor and praise.
Michael Taaffe: Man.
Wow.
That was, say, say that line again.
God doesn't,
Clif Marshall: The Clif note is God doesn't call the qualified.
He qualifies the called
Michael Taaffe: hmm.
Clif Marshall: because many people looked at you when you were a
sophomore in high school on the JVB team and said, you're not qualified.
You're not big enough, you're not fast enough, you're not athletic
enough, and if you fast forward to the 2024 season, you're named a college
football All-American So that is the Clif note I have for you today.
Michael Taaffe: Man, I love that.
Um, really appreciate that.
And, um, you know, both of y'all pouring into my life and Sam especially, um.
What you've done for me and, um, what you've taught me as a man, being on
Bible study calls with me when I was in high school to, to speaking to
our football team last year, and, um.
You know, you taught us gratitude.
Everything that I learned from your, your speech was gratitude.
And we play such a great game that if you're not grateful,
then dude, you don't belong here.
Um, and then everything that y'all have taught me today, and it's been
so fun to, to hear from y'all and, um, get to share my testimony, my
story a little bit, and, um, just know that this is all because of God and.
And everything that he is done in our lives.
So really appreciate y'all, and it's been super motivating to hear everything
that y'all have, uh, offered and to know y'all as, as human beings.
Thank.
Sam Acho: No, it's been great for us as well, Michael.
Um, I don't have much else to say.
I feel like Cliff said it all at the end.
Usually I try to send our guests off with this encouragement, but hearing what Cliff
said, I was like, man, cliff, you got it.
So Cliff, you.
You, you just give, give, give us that line one more time.
Um, and then, and then we'll, we'll then, we'll then we'll close.
Clif Marshall: God doesn't call the qualified.
He qualifies the called.
Sam Acho: Michael Taf, you are called.
Uh, thank you, Michael for joining the Sam Macho Podcast featuring Cliff Marshall.
Thank you for your faith.
Thank you for your courage.
Thank you for the type of man that you are and the man that you are leading.
Thank you for your, uh, clarity that even though there's a lot of like, kind of
like, I don't know what's happening, you have clarity in who's making it happen.
And so thank you for, um, picking up the call when God called you.
Um, we appreciate you.
I appreciate you.
I'll be rooting you on this season.
Clip's gonna be rooting you on as well.
Um, and we can't wait to see you soon.
Michael Taaffe: Thank you guys so much.
Hook 'em and God bless.
Sam Acho: God bless and thank y'all so much for joining the Sam Acho
podcast, featuring Cliff Marshall.
Check us out at at the Sam Macho on social media, but even
more so go to sam macho.com
to listen to this episode and so much more.
We'll see y'all soon.