Nebraska Football: Luke Gifford is trying to work his way back

The Nebraska football alum is looking to make his mark in the NFL in his second year.

It’s always good to see a Nebraska football alum succeed. For former linebacker Luke Gifford, now a member of the Dallas Cowboys, his rookie season took a little bit of a turn last year.

After suffering an injury in the preseason, he spent the rest of the season trying to work his way back. He did appear in six games, but the injury bug bit him again. He suffered an injury with two games left in the season.  He totaled three tackles in all, two of them coming against the Buffalo Bills in the Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving Day matchup.

Now, it looks like he is just focused on getting better and ready for the regular season. I truly think he can find a home in the National Football League. He is an instinctual linebacker that can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. He showed just how much he meant to the Nebraska defense throughout his time in Lincoln.

As many of you may recall, his best year for the program came in the 2018 season. He played and started in all 12 games, recording 62 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He put a nice bow on what was a very successful Nebraska career. He played in 29 total games, starting 19 of them. He recorded 109 tackles and seven sacks in his career. You always knew what type of effort you were going to get from him.

As he told Parker Gabriel of the Lincoln Journal Star, he feels optimistic that he can make a major impact this season. Personally, I have no doubt that he can as well. He has the skill set to be successful in the National Football League.

"“Getting hurt (in the preseason) obviously delayed me a little bit, threw me off the rails, but when I came back I was feeling great, did some good things on special teams, started to play a lot and then probably would have seen some reps there those last three games if I wouldn’t have broken my arm,” Gifford told the Journal Star recently. “I feel good about where I’m at and it’s kind of always been my thing: I just have to stay healthy. If I can stay healthy for a full season, then I think I can make a big impact. I’m optimistic about this year.”"

Health will be the key thing for him this season. As you all probably hear all the time, players are replaceable. It sounds like this year, the goal for Gifford is to make it so he is not. The Dallas Cowboys have always prided themselves on a strong linebacker tradition. Linebackers are huge part of the defense for the team.

In any event, I’ll will certainly be rooting for him to succeed. He was one of my favorite players when he was here. The National Football League can be both unwavering and tough. Injuries can also be unforgiving. Gifford is certainly finding out that aspect of it. Hopefully, everything will work out for him this time around.