For most of his life, Logan Taylor’s Christian faith has been his compass.
During a difficult spell when his father was in prison and his mother worked several jobs, Taylor lived in a trailer park.
“I was happy there,” said Taylor, who made friends with the other kids. “I looked at it as we had a roof over our heads. Other people had it worse. I’ve learned over the years a lot of things are about perspective. Someone can sit there and say, ‘I wish I had this.’ But there’s someone sitting on the street thinking, ‘I wish I had a mobile home.’ It’s all about perspective and keeping your joy in whatever you’re doing.”
After years of refusing to answer collect calls from prison, Taylor made peace with his recently released father. “Absolutely,” Taylor said. “It was hard to do, but doing what the Lord would want you to do feels good. Once I became a father I was able to look at it from his shoes. I could have said, ‘whatever.’ But what is the most loving thing I can do? In this situation, it was to forgive. We have a relationship now. It was a great opportunity for me to mature and grow up.”
Taylor also turned to faith after he was on the deep end of the depth chart entering the 2022 season. “In the beginning, I was frustrated and I did let my joy get stolen a little bit,” he recalled. “I realized that’s not who I wanted to be. I did not want to be that person who let circumstances steal my joy. I realized whatever I’m doing, I need to do it as if I’m doing it for the Lord. If I’m a backup, I’m going to be the best backup I can be. That means preparing like a starter.”
After weak-side linebacker Isaiah Tufaga suffered a season-ending injury, Taylor moved into the lineup. He amassed 16 tackles against Colorado State. He had double-digit tackles in each of the final six games to finish with a team-high 85 stops.
At 6 feet 1 and 215 pounds, Taylor is admittedly thin. In 2021, he was nicknamed “Slow-gan” because, unbeknownst to teammates, his speed was suppressed because of a toe injury that eventually required surgery. Of his shortcomings, he quotes 2 Corinthians 12: “… my power is made perfect in weakness.” He said that quote is motivational, acknowledging, “I’m not the biggest, I’m not the strongest, I’m not the fastest.”
Taylor is unapologetic when he makes bruising tackles. “We can be cool afterward, but in between the lines, I’m playing for the guy next to me. I’m going to go hard because I don’t want to let down my brother next to me.”
Taylor also has shown he has other skills. When his first son was born, he recalled, “I was able to catch him coming out. It was awesome. It was something I’ll never forget. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. I’ve got good hands. It was an easy catch. It was like a handoff, really. I held him high and tight.”
Scouting Report
In a group text to his players on game days, linebackers coach Chris Brown will forward video clips of a lion on the prowl for hyenas, hippos, warthogs. “Look at the way he closes on the prey,” Brown will text. “I always tell my guys ‘you’ve got be the apex predator. You’ve got to be the lion.’” The linebackers, collectively known as the “Lion’s Den,” have turned Saturdays into the hunger games. Last year, weak-side linebacker Isaiah Tufaga’s injury opened the way for Logan Taylor. Taylor returns at the will position with Tufaga now moving to middle linebacker. Jalen Smith, who was forced to redshirt last season because of a glitch in paperwork, can back up both linebacker positions. Noah Kema, who is viewed as run stopper, becomes the third linebacker when the Warriors shift to a 3-3 front.
At this position
16 Logan Taylor 6-1 215 Sr. Harbor City, Calif.
17 Isaiah Tufaga 6-1 230 Sr. Laie
18 Noah Kema 6-2 225 Sr. Lawrence, Kan.
3 Jalen Smith 6-0 220 So. Bakersfield, Calif
54 Jamih Otis 5-10 225 Fr. Las Vegas
