Isaac Gifford opens up on what it means to earn Blackshirt at Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have gotten back to having one of the more impressive units in college football. Their rush defense ranked in the Top 10 in the country last year and also ranked 13th in the country in scoring defense. One of the most well-known traditions for Nebraska is their Blackshirt defense. And it’s quite an honor for a Husker player to achieve, dating all the way back to the 1960s.

Recently, starting corner Isaac Gifford opened up on what it means to him to be a part of the Blackshirt defense.

“It means the world. Like I said, growing up in Nebraska, I watched a lot of people come through the University and earn that Blackshirt. And it’s always been a dream of mine, so it means everything to me.”

Isaac Gifford was dominant in 2023

If wearing a Blackshirt means something special to Gifford, it certainly showed in his play on the field in the 2023 season. He started all 12 games last year, leading the team in tackles, while ranking second on the team with a career-high eight pass breakups. Gifford also tacked on a career-high 6.5 tackles for loss and one interception. For his efforts, he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. He wore the No. 2 as one of 10 Husker players to earn a single-digit number in a team vote. It meant that he was selected as one of Nebraska’s “toughest” players.

Last year, he played a critical role in the Blackshirt defense that tallied the Huskers’ best rushing defense (92.9 yards per game), total defense (303.5 yards per game), and scoring defense (18.3 points per game) since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011. They ranked in the top 20 in all three of those stat categories.

One of Gifford’s best games of the year came against the Iowa Hawkeyes, when he tallied 11 tackles, tying his career-high and marking the third game of his career with double-digit tackles. He also broke up a pass against the Hawkeyes.

In 2022, as a sophomore, he played in all 12 games, ranking third on the team with 70 tackles and tallying 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and three pass breakups. Gifford operated as the Huskers’ primary nickel back, making 10 total starts, with eight starts at nickel and two starts at safety.

His freshman season in 2021, he made seven tackles with one pass breakup.

Before joining Nebraska, Gifford had an excellent career as a versatile player for Lincoln Southeast High School. As a senior, he earned All-Nebraska honors from the Omaha World-Herald as he racked up 71 tackles, six pass breakups, and an interception. He helped propel Southeast to a 9-2 record and to the Class A quarterfinals. On offense, he had 298 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while also hauling in five catches. In the 2020 cycle, he was tabbed as a three-star prospect and the No. 80 overall safety in America, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Nebraska kicks off their 2024 campaign against the UTEP Miners. That one is slated for Saturday, August 31st. Kick time is set for 3:30 PM EST.