Luke Gifford

Gifford attended Lincoln Southeast High School, where he was a two-way player as a tight end and safety. As a sophomore, he contributed to the team winning the 2011 state championship. As a junior, he received second-team All-Nebraska honors. As a senior, he was named the starting quarterback.[1]

He accepted a football scholarship from University of Nebraska with the intention of playing safety, but was converted into a linebacker.[2]

As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 6 games, tallying 7 tackles (one for loss) before suffering a season-ending hip injury. As a sophomore, he appeared in 4 contests as a backup, making only one assisted tackle.

As a junior, he appeared in 7 games as a starter at outside linebacker, registering 39 tackles (5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks, until suffering a season-ending hip injury. As a senior, he appeared in all 12 contests, posting 62 tackles, 13 tackles for loss (led the team), 5.5 sacks (led the team), 7 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.

Gifford was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL Draft on April 30.[3] He suffered a left high ankle sprain in the first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, after making one interception, one tackle and one pass breakup.[4] Even though he was injured, the Cowboys protected his player rights by keeping him on the regular season roster. He returned to action in Week 6 against the New York Jets and was focused on playing special teams. In Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams, Gifford suffered a fractured left arm while covering a punt return and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.[5] He was placed on injured reserve on December 17.[6] He appeared in 6 games and was declared inactive for 8 contests during the season.

Gifford was suspended two games by the NFL for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs on November 24, 2020.[7] He was reinstated from suspension on December 9.[8]