DALLAS, Texas – University of Hawai'i linebacker Logan Taylor is among 20 semifinalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award which honors exemplary leadership and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
 
Taylor is one of four Mountain West honorees along with Colorado State's Jacob Gardner, Boise State's Ahmed Hassanein, and UNLV's Jackson Woodard. The Mountain West trailed only the SEC, who had six semifinalists while the Big Ten had three selections.
 
A two-time captain, Taylor was the team's leading tackler in 2022 and was primed for a breakout season in 2023 until suffering a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season. His return to the field, as well as his strong faith and excellence in the classroom has made him the team's unquestioned leader. Taylor is a three-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and two-time academic all-conference honoree. He recently became a campus missionary at UH and he occasionally preaches Sunday services at his church in Honolulu.
 
Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16 while the winner will be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on February 12, 2025.
 
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.
 
"I'm honored to announce the semifinalists for the Collegiate Man of the Year," said Witten. "These twenty young men perfect examples of what makes college football so great.  They have all demonstrated exceptional leadership and character, often while overcoming large challenges. They are great representatives for their schools and the game of football, and I commend all nominees for getting to this point."
 
The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.