Honors & Awards
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2021, 2022)
» Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2022)
» Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2022, 2023)
2022 (Redshirt Freshman)
Mikai Gbayor did not play in a game in 2022.
2021 (Redshirt)
Gbayor did not play in a game during the 2021 season.
Before Nebraska (Irvington HS)
Gbayor was a standout linebacker for Irvington High School, where he was named a 2020 All-America candidate by Sports Illustrated.
Gbayor made 56 tackles, including 29 for a loss, with nine sacks in his senior season at Irvington. For his efforts, he was named to the USA Today All-New Jersey first team. Gbayor was also a nominee for the 2020 USA Football Heart of a Giant Award. As a junior, Gbayor made 86 tackles with 32 TFLs and 14 sacks. Gbayor was named the Essex County defensive player of the year as a junior.
Gbayor was ranked among the top 10 recruits in the state of New Jersey by 247Sports and was regarded as the nation’s No. 21 inside linebacker by Rivals. Gbayor had offers from several other top schools, and chose Nebraska over Kentucky, Michigan State, Ole Miss and West Virginia.
Personal
Mikai was born on Nov. 23, 2002, and he is the son of Nilsa Gbayor and his guardian is Reggie Torain. Mikai is majoring in criminology and criminal justice. Gbayor has been very active in the community, volunteering his time with the Nebraska Football Road Race, a Thanksgiving Food Drive, Elliot Elementary gift giving, a Diversity and Inclusion Summit and local hospital and retirement home visits.