Texas football team to participate in \

Posted by author February 13, 2025 Football

$Texas football team to participate in \$

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Michael Taaffe, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Jordan Washington will headline the “Puppy Love” fundraiser at Texas West Campus.

Texas Longhorns football players are giving back to the community ahead of Valentine’s Day by participating in the “Puppy Love” fundraiser, benefiting PAWS Shelter of Central Texas. The event will take place on Feb. 13 from noon to 3 p.m. at Victory Lap, a popular West Campus spot near the University of Texas.

Lailah Licon, volunteer event coordinator, said hosting the event in West Campus was a strategic choice to increase student engagement.

“As a UT student, I thought West Campus was the best place to host this because I’m trying to get more student awareness to get volunteers for the shelter,” Licon said. “The involvement of UT students has been crucial in making this event a success.” Licon, who works in marketing with UT and NFL players, said she saw the Texas football players as natural partners for the event.

“I chose to collaborate with Texas football players because I work in marketing with UT and NFL players and wanted to grab the attention of UT students,” Licon said. “I thought they would be natural partners for this project, and they also share values similar to mine in giving back to the community.”

Licon said organizing nonprofit events like “Puppy Love” has been especially meaningful because of the collaboration it has fostered. “It’s very exciting to work on nonprofit events like this because I’ve been able to do it with my close friends and other UT students,” Licon said. “It’s nice to see that by stepping up and offering to host something like this, I can make a difference and get many people to collaborate on a good cause.”

PAWS Shelter of Central Texas, a no-kill shelter founded in 1986, provides care and support for homeless, abandoned and abused animals. Longhorns players Michael Taffee, Deandre Moore Jr. and Jordan Washington will headline the event.

For head coach Steve Sarkisian, community involvement is an extension of the team’s discipline and culture. The core of discipline on the field is discipline off the field — in the classroom, in community service, in the football complex.

“So if you want to be a disciplined football team when you take the field each weekend, you have to be disciplined when you are off the field. How are we in school? How are we in community service? All of it all adds up to that becomes your culture because that is who you are and that is how we go about every day life.”

Steve Sarkisian

During the early years of Sarkisian’s tenure, former Longhorns running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson helped instill those values, often leading by example. The pair routinely cleaned team rooms after meetings, a practice that has since extended to the entire roster. The Longhorns now emphasize small yet meaningful actions, such as cleaning up after team movie nights before games.