Taaffe, a fifth-year senior from nearby Westlake High School, underwent surgery Monday on a thumb after suffering the injury late in Saturday’s 16-13 overtime win over Kentucky, according to a report from 247Sports.
Texas officials did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation or a comment.
Per that 247Sports report, Taaffe is expected to miss at least the next two games, which includes Saturday’s trip to Mississippi State and a Nov. 1 home game against Vanderbilt. The Longhorns then have their second open week before a Nov. 15 trip to Georgia.
Taaffe leads No. 22 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) with 51 tackles and has one sack and one interception. He tallied 10 tackles while playing a team-high 89 snaps against Kentucky, which included three plays negated by penalties.
Derek Williams Jr. could start in place of Taaffe
Redshirt sophomore Derek Wiilliams Jr. seems like the likeliest replacement for Taaffe as the starting free safety. Williams, who returned to action this year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 of the 2024 schedule, has played in 24 career games. He has seven tackles this season while rotating in at safety.
Jelani McDonald, the starting strong safety, also has the versatility to handle free safety duties and gives defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski some options in the secondary. Sophomores Xavier Filsaime and Jordan Johnson-Rubell could also see more action after combining for a total of seven tackles through the first seven games of the season.