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Looking ahead to 2026: What does a secondary without Michael Taaffe look like?

by: Jackson Buss5 hours ago
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Graceson Littleton (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Last season when Jahdae Barron left for the NFL, he handed the torch to Michael Taaffe as not only the leader in the secondary but the defense as a whole. When this season reaches its end, who can or will step up to replace Taaffe?

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Malik Muhammad is playing well enough to declare, something anticipated since he arrived in Austin. His departure would then leave two massive holes in a secondary with lots of young talent.

Could Jelani McDonald step up in 2026? Well, it’d be hard to lead the Texas defense from the NFL. He has played some of the most snaps out of the entire defense and has improved his open field tackling. He’s one of the reasons why Texas’ defense has been great at times and the chances he’ll elect to declare early are high. His quality was made more obvious when he missed most of the Vanderbilt game.

So who’s still around before even considering any possible portal additions?

Graceson Littleton, who has broken out this year as a true freshman, can’t declare for the draft or exhaust eligibility. He’s one piece of the starting lineup Texas can expect back in 2026. The question will be whether he remains at Star or bounces outside to cornerback. Right now the feeling is he’ll play cornerback. Despite Littleton’s rise to starter, Wardell Mack is viewed in a positive light by the program and could slide in as a starter at Star in 2026.

Speaking of cornerback, Texas has players gaining more and more experience in the program in Kade Phillips, Kobe Black, and Warren Roberson.

Phillips earned opportunities at the end of the Vanderbilt game and in other meaningful situations. While Black hasn’t unseated Jaylon Guilbeau, he still gets regular snaps and has strong physical skills.

Plus, Santana Wilson and Caleb Chester will be a year older and Samari Matthews and Hayward Howard from the 2026 class will be in the mix.

At safety, veteran Derek Williams Jr. should be in the fold and offer savvy experience for a secondary that will see both talent and experience in the program depart. Alongside him will be Xavier Filsaime, Jonah Williams, and Jordon-Johnson Rubell, all of whom are in good position to grab larger roles in 2026.

Obviously, Jonah Williams had a slower start because of his baseball duties and has mainly played special teams, but he was a top 10 overall recruit in his class and there’s good reason to be excited to see more of him. As injuries continue to plague the Texas secondary, current rotations can set the stage for what the unit looks like next season.

There is good reason to head to the portal to find a veteran safety who can provide the back-end security Taaffe has for most of the last three seasons or to grab players like Mukuba and McDonald who ballhawk in burnt orange for one big year.

If not, Texas has the pieces from multiple recruiting classes available to create a secondary that will have to live up to lofty expectations set by those who carried the DBU mantle.

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