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Provo • Last September, BYU defensive lineman Logan Taele, a walk-on at that point in his college football career, seriously considered giving up football to focus all his efforts on obtaining his degree in accounting.

Days later, coach Bronco Mendenhall called the 6-foot-2, 280-pound junior into his office and awarded him a scholarship. Mendenhall had Taele read aloud the letter offering the much-needed financial aid in early October.

"Personally, it had been really hard, playing without a scholarship," Taele said. "I was close to quitting. It came at just the right time, I guess, because I wasn't getting any more opportunities [to play] in football and I didn't see that it was going anywhere. I just wanted to focus on school."

More than anything, Taele said, the scholarship was validation that he had earned his coaches' respect, and he redoubled his efforts at practice and on the playing field. A month later, he had moved into the starting lineup at defensive end and was a key fixture in the Cougars' 4-0 November.

Taele recorded a season-high eight tackles in the Miami Beach Bowl against Memphis, and finished with 31 stops, including two tackles for loss.

"The hardest thing was feeling like the coaches were not invested in me," he said. "I always felt like they were giving scholarship players more opportunities, and so I knew that if I had an opportunity I had to run with it and do everything I could to get looked at."

Taele has been running with the ones in spring camp, battling with fellow seniors Remington Peck and Graham Rowley for the spot opposite All-America candidate Bronson Kaufusi, also a senior.

"I am looking to solidify that spot going into fall camp, and then hopefully be a playmaker next season," Taele said. "That's my goal for this year, to be counted on as someone who can make a play when we need it."

Taele grew up in Columbus, Ohio, then moved with his family to St. George before his senior year of high school and graduated from Dixie. After a church mission to Tucson, Ariz., he walked on in 2012 as a 230-pound linebacker but was cut after spring camp that year.

So he put on 25 pounds, tried out again before the 2012 season as a defensive lineman, and was given a spot on the team. He said he is playing with torn labrums in both shoulders, but will likely wait until after the season to have surgery.

Thanks to Taele's emergence and the decision to move Kaufusi back to defensive end (from linebacker) most of the time, defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi suddenly has an embarrassment of riches at the position.

The Cougars lost just two contributors, nose tackle Marques Johnson and end Josh Carter, so they should have a plenty of depth. Junior Travis Tuiloma is the likely starter at nose tackle, backed up by sophomore Kesni Tausinga.

They are so deep along the defensive line that they moved Jaterrius Gulley to offensive line and Steven Richards and Tanner Balderree to tight end.

As for Taele, Steve Kaufusi called him "one of our brighter spots" in 2014.

"He's a tough, physical warrior," Kaufusi said in December. "He's done a nice job."

And he's no longer thinking about quitting.

Twitter: @drewjay —

BYU's D-line depth

Player Yr Ht/Wt

Bronson Kaufusi Sr 6-7/265

Remington Peck Sr 6-4/271

Graham Rowley Sr 6-4/280

Logan Taele Sr 6-2/280

Travis Tuiloma Jr 6-2/285

Tomasi Laulile Jr 6-3/285

Kesni Tausinga So 6-1/308

Also on spring roster: Latanoa Pikula (Sr.), Moses Kaumatule (Fr.), Kamalani Kaluhiokalani (Fr.), Isaiah Nacua (Fr.), Adam Ingersoll (Jr.), Theodore King (Jr.).