LOGAN TAYLOR came to Manoa after spending a year at El Camino College in 2019. Taylor had a quiet first two years, joining the roster as a reserve defenseman and special teams contributor in 2020 and missing most of 2021 due to injury.

“Man, the first few years were tough for me. But one of my favorite quotes is: “Prosperity is a grace.” It is a great grace. But adversity is a greater grace when it leads you to Christ,” Taylor said. “And in those hard years I reached my lowest point. I was on the verge of not playing football anymore.”

The adversity he faced early in his UH career shaped him into the defensive and spiritual leader he would become in 2022.

“Those two years were like my refining process of being in the fire and being forced into the man that God called me to be,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s breakthrough came in 2022. He played in all 13 games and led the team with 85 tackles on the season, including 49 solo tackles and four tackles for a loss. In six starts at linebacker, Taylor recorded double-digit tackles each time, including a 16-tackle game against Colorado State. He became the first UH player in 21 years to record six consecutive double-digit tackle games.

After his breakthrough 2022 season, Taylor was elected team captain for the first time for the 2023 season.

“When I first came to Hawaii, I had a list of goals. One of my goals was to become team captain. Being a team captain was probably one of the greatest privileges I will ever have. This is something I take very seriously,” Taylor said. “This is something I want to pass on to my children. That I tried as hard as I could to be a leader, a role model, someone of influence. So that I can have a good influence on the guys next to me. Being chosen captain is one of the greatest things I have achieved.”

Taylor, now officially a team leader, was ready for another big season in 2023. Through the first three games of the season, Taylor made 21 tackles, 18 of which were solo. In the third game of the season, Taylor suffered another injury setback, tearing his ACL against Albany and ending a promising season.

“It was crazy because it was frustrating for me personally. But most of all it was a blessing. “It was an opportunity to see who I am when football was taken away from me?” Taylor said. “Throughout this entire (rehab) process, I was able to learn that I could grow closer to God in my relationship. I was able to see the field and see the game from a different perspective. I was able to lead in a way that I had never done before off the field by being a mentor and being someone who could lift people up.”

His rehab went more smoothly than expected and Taylor returned for his final season in 2024. Taylor hasn’t missed a game in 13 weeks.

“I’m grateful to be able to play with my brothers again. Man, I would do this 10 more times if I could. It’s just a blessing to be here. There is literally nothing else like it. It’s bittersweet knowing this is my last rodeo, but I’m grateful. “So grateful, man,” Taylor said. “These five years have been the greatest blessing of my life. I am proud to be a UH Warrior. I am proud to be a leader. I’m proud to play on this field, I’m proud to have all these people I can call my brothers, all these coaches I can call my brothers. This is beyond my wildest dreams. I am beyond grateful for this place. This is my home, you know, I can’t express in words how much I love this place, how much it has changed me, how much it means to me and my family, the relationships on the field, off the field, etc I met it out here.”

Taylor’s contributions on and off the field have earned him recognition as a candidate for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.

Stone and Taylor were both from the mainland. Our next three seniors all grew up playing Rainbow Warriors football in Hawaii.