Micah Gifford
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Fourth year in the Baylor secondary. One game to point at: 8 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Colorado — Week 4, 2026.
42 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
42 tackles. 0 passes defended. 3 interceptions. 3 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 6 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-17vs Auburn | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 44-3vs Prairie View A&M | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 36-19vs Louisiana Tech | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 23-13vs Colorado | 8 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 5 | W 55-19@ Arizona State | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 6-17vs TCU | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-25@ Kansas | 6 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 41-9@ UCF | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 28 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 |
Oct. 30 · W 41-9 at UCF, play by play
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: taking the ball away — 3 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles in the 8 games with play by play.
How Baylor’s defense played that day
UCF’s 15 drives: 12 stopped (2 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 4.
6 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception on 4th and 5 ended Kansas’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 4th and 5. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended Kansas’s drive (int).
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 interception. His interception ended TCU’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 1 of his 3, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Second quarter, down 7-6.
Intercepted. Second quarter, down 7-6. Ended TCU’s drive (int).
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 2 of his 4, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Third quarter, up 41-3.
3 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception ended Auburn’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, down 10-7. Ended Auburn’s drive (int).
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -4 to +9 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
0%0 pass breakupsInterceptions
3interceptionsTackle volume
42tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%3 TFL42 tackles · 3 for loss · 3 interceptions.
4 seasons under Dave Aranda — 21-24 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 5.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 5.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 6.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dave Aranda
Pass share
49.7%
309 pass / 313 run
Plays / game
77.8
8 games
Team sack rate
5.7%
349 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2026
42 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #43 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #33 of 40 Big 12 Ss
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 26 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Dave Aranda.
