Standout In-State Wide Receiver Micah Gifford Signs With Baylor Bears
Pflugerville Weiss (TX) wide receiver Micah Gifford signed with the Baylor Bears Wednesday as part of National Early Signing Day. Gifford starred at receiver for Weiss and chose Baylor over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Indiana.
Gifford rose to football fame early in life as a member of the Austin Steelers youth football team featured on the reality show "Friday Night Tykes." A tyke no more, Gifford stands at a slender 6'2" and 185 pounds, and was one of the top offensive weapons in the loaded Austin area.
Utilizing his size and speed, Gifford was used mainly as a burner on the outside. The deep threat rarely used the middle of the field for big plays in high school, going for 20.5 yards a catch as a senior. In the 2022 season, Gifford hauled in 41 catches for 840 yards and nine receiving touchdowns in 11 games.
Gifford got even more of the defense's attention in his senior season after going off for 44 catches and 13 touchdowns as a junior in 2021, drawing the attention of Dallas Baker and Dave Aranda at Baylor, as the Bears offered him a scholarship on January 14. Two and a half weeks later, Gifford committed to Baylor, holding off on the offers from Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State and others to stay with the Bears.
The Bears need depth at outside receiver, as their leading receiver in 2022 was slot man Monaray Baldwin, who caught 33 passes for 565 yards in 10 games. Gifford's size and speed make him comparable to former Bears star and current New England Patriots rookie Tyquan Thornton.
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Covering Baylor for Inside The Bears and the Locked on Baylor podcast. You can follow me for more Baylor content at @realcamstuart on Twitter. Originally from Rockland, Massachusetts and a Baylor alum, so I might mix the occasional bias and/or Boston sports tweet in there every once in a while.