Freshman Graceson Littleton Already Earning Praise From Texas Longhorns Leaders

Taaffe on Littleton’s first collegiate game

Taking into account that Littleton had probably received an overwhelming amount of advice already, Taaffe kept his pre-game message to the cornerback simple.

“I told him before the game, everybody’s gonna tell you a certain thing, give you a little nugget,” he said. “ Everybody’s gonna be trying to inspire you. Well I told him, I said, look at the noise, soak it all in, take three deep breaths and when you make your first play, be really proud of yourself because you put yourself in this position to go make a play.”

This first play for Littleton took shape as a pass deflection in the second quarter that prevented the ball from landing in the hands of one of the nation’s best wide receivers, Jeremiah Smith. The true freshman matched the Buckeyes receiver stride-for-stride, and the pass deflection demonstrated just how solid the coverage was.

Taaffe made sure to follow up on his pregame advice to Littleton and remind him to be proud of the ‘great play’ he had just made. 

His second play came just one snap later, when Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin targeted wide receiver Brandon Inniss for a deep pass. Littleton stuck tight to Inniss, ultimately tackling him and forcing an incompletion. The true freshman had demonstrated his capabilities twice in a row against one of the toughest if not the toughest opponents in the country.

He earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 86.6 for his efforts in the game, which was higher than any other Texas defender in Week 1. 

“Yeah he did amazing,” Taaffe said of his fellow defensive back. “He was calm, collected. His nerves weren’t too high. He was just there to play.”

With a series of home games in the near future for the Longhorns, Littleton will likely get more opportunities to show his competence and talent to a more supportive crowd at the Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. 

Texas next takes the field against the San Jose State Spartans on Sept. 6.