Gifford attended Lincoln Southeast High School, where he was a two-way player as a tight end and safety.

[1] Gifford 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 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.

Gifford was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 NFL draft on April 30.

[4] 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.

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.

He had a career-high 5 special teams tackles and one fumble recovery against the Green Bay Packers.

[16] Gifford played in 16 games (four starts), finishing with a career high 48 total tackles (31 solo) and two pass deflections.