Gifford Earns National Recognition

Nebraska senior defensive back Isaac Gifford received a pair of honors, recognizing his on-and-off the field work this week.

Gifford was named to a semifinalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy, which is considered the academic Heisman on Wednesday and was named to the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Watch List on Thursday.

Gifford is a three-year starter for the Blackshirts, making 26 career starts for the Huskers in his career. As a junior, he earned All-Big Ten honors, leading Nebraska with 86 tackles while adding personal bests in both tackles for loss (6.5) and pass breakups (nine). This season, he has started all four games for the 3-1 Huskers, ranking second on the team with 22 tackles.

He has excelled off the field in his career, boasting a 3.54 GPA as he received his degree in management in December of 2023 and is currently in graduate school. He is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar earlier this year.  He is active in NU’s Life Skills program and received the Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award in April, recognizing the top student-athletes across all sports at Nebraska.

For the Campbell Trophy. the National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 23, as a member of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The Campbell Trophy winner will be announced on Dec. 10 at the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas. Gifford will look to join previous Husker winners Rob Zatechka (1994) and Kyle Vanden Bosch (2000).

For the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, the list will be trimmed to 20 semifinalists on Oct. 22 with three finalists named on Dec. 16. The winner of the award, which is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field, will be announced at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 12, 2025.