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Texas' coaching staff is committed to putting the best players on the field

by: RT Young07/29/25
Michael Taaffe
Michael Taaffe (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Do you remember the days of the Tom Herman receiver rotation?

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When Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay would inexplicably be off the field for entire drives. There was also so little cross-training between positions that Herman’s teams struggled to get their best players on the field together. Even early Steve Sarkisian and Pete Kwiatkowski teams dealt with this issue, as Jahdae Barron would be taken off the field when the defense shifted from nickel to base.

Those days are over. This coaching staff is determined to get all of its best players on the field at once.

That was a common theme in today’s media availability with Texas assistant coaches.

From EDGE coach LaAllan Clark revealing Brad Spence’s move from linebacker to Buck to get him more playing time (even behind Colin Simmons), Trey Moore’s move to off-ball linebacker and talk of a potential all-star defensive backfield that will make Longhorn fans drool.

Nickels coach Keynodo Hudson said there’s been “a little bit of everybody (at Star). Graceson Littleton is working there right now. Wardell Mack. Michael Taaffe is working there. A lot of various guys, Jelani McDonald. We’ve got some other guys that have an opportunity to work in the slot.”

While it’s nowhere near finalized, Taaffe to Star is a move I’ve been hoping for all offseason.

That hypothetical defensive backfield would put Taaffe, McDonald, Derek Williams, Jaylon Guilbeau and Malik Muhammad on the field at the same time. That’s a nightmare for opposing offenses. Every one of those players is a veteran who excels in pre-snap communication and identifying offensive concepts. While Muhammad and Guilbeau haven’t shown ball-hawking instincts yet, the other three have. Quarterbacks would be baited into plenty of mistakes with that trio on the field.

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The potential move also helps build Taaffe’s NFL résumé by showcasing his positional flexibility. It allows Kobe Black and others to continue developing as the season goes on. Even if Taaffe doesn’t end up at Star, it could be a defensive backfield the Longhorns utilize with that specific quintet.

More than anything, Texas coaches have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal, and they’re clearly preparing to empty the treasure chest onto the field.

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