James Gibson and Cutter Leftwich Named to 247 Sports 30Under30 List
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky football assistant coaches James Gibson and Cutter Leftwich were named to the 2026 edition of the 247 Sports’ 30Under30 List, recognizing the fastest-rising personnel and assistant coaches in college football. The list is in its 10th year and is compiled by a bevy of contacts across the industry.
James Gibson, who helped Texas A&M advance to the 2025 College Football Playoff, is in his first season at Kentucky working with the defensive backs, specifically as the stars coach. Stars are considered a hybrid defender who functions as a nickelback, safety and outside linebacker.
Gibson comes to Kentucky after two seasons at Texas A&M as a defensive analyst, working under new UK defensive coordinator Jay Bateman. Gibson assisted with the Aggie nickelbacks in 2024 and the cornerbacks in 2025.
Gibson helped TAMU post an 11-1 regular-season record in 2025, the team’s most regular-season wins since 1992, as the Aggies made their run to the CFP. The A&M defense led the nation in third-down conversion defense, ranked eighth in fewest first downs allowed and 18th in total defense
In 2024, Texas A&M posted an 8-5 record, including a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. The Aggies rated 35th in the nation in scoring defense. Gibson helped coach BJ Mayes, who ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in interceptions per game and tied for 10th in the league in passes defended per game.
Gibson first became acquainted with Bateman at the United States Military Academy (Army West Point). Gibson played from 2015-18 while Bateman was the defensive coordinator. He was a four-year letterman, playing safety and nickelback. He was named All-Independent second team as a junior.
In his final three seasons at West Point, Army posted a 29-10 record, including three bowl wins – two in the Armed Forces Bowl (2017 and ’18) and also in the 2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl.
Following his graduation with a degree in American Politics, Gibson began his coaching career in 2019 at the USMA Prep School as the assistant defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. The team was undefeated, and he developed two DBs who went on to become full-time starters at the USMA.
Leftwich is in his first season on Will Stein’s inaugural staff as the offensive line coach. Most recently, he was Oregon’s assistant offensive line coach and run game coordinator during the 2025 season.
Leftwich spent two of the past three seasons with the Ducks’ high-powered offense, with a one-year stint at North Texas as offensive line coach in-between.
After a season at North Texas, he returned to Eugene in 2025, helping Oregon rank fourth nationally in pass efficiency (100.96), ninth in scoring (38.2), 14th in rushing (218.4) and 16th in fewest sacks allowed. Oregon’s offensive line was named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the nation’s top unit, the only offensive unit to be named a finalist three years in a row.
Paced by a high-scoring offense, the 2025 Ducks finished the 2025 season 13-2 overall, including an 8-1 mark in the Big Ten. The No. 5 Ducks advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff with a 23-0 win over No. 4 Texas Tech before falling to the eventual national champion and top-ranked Indiana, 56-22. It marked just the fifth loss in the last three years for the program. The Ducks were the only team in the country to win 13 games each of the past two seasons, tying the program record for single-season victories first set in 2014.
The Ducks’ offensive line was instrumental in establishing a balanced offensive attack, supporting a strong running game while protecting an efficient passing attack led by quarterback Dante Moore (3,565 passing yards, 30 TDs) and running back Jordon Davison (667 rushing yards, 15 TDs).
In 2024, Leftwich was at North Texas as the offensive line coach. The Mean Green finished third nationally in total offense, was fourth in passing offense and 23rd in scoring offense. Leftwich’s unit thrived despite using 10 different starting combinations in 13 games and starting two true freshmen. Those rookies, Braydon Nelson and Tyler Mercer, both garnered national freshman honors. Nelson was named to the Pro Football Focus All-True Freshman team, while Mercer earned a Football Writers’ Association Freshman All-America nod.
While the assistant offensive line coach with the Ducks in 2023, the unit was graded by PFF as the No. 1 or No. 2 line in both pass and run blocking. Oregon was second in the nation in scoring, total offense and pass offense and led the nation with just five sacks allowed. The Ducks allowed multiple sacks just once in 13 games while not allowing any sacks in nine games, including six of the last seven. At season’s end, the O-line was a finalist for the prestigious Joe Moore Award.
With Leftwich’s help, Jackson Powers-Johnson was named the 2023 Rimington Trophy winner as the nation’s best center. He went on to be selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
In 2022, Leftwich was a graduate assistant at UCLA and helped the Bruins’ offensive line be named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. He tutored NFL-caliber talent while working with the Bruins, such as Jon Gaines, fourth-round pick by Arizona, and Antonio Mafi, fifth-round choice by New England.
Leftwich began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UTSA in 2021, tutoring Spencer Burford, a fourth-round NFL draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Kentucky will host Youngstown State on Sept. 5 at 1 p.m. ET in Kroger Field on SEC Network+ to open the 2026 campaign.
Primary inventory single-game tickets for all Kentucky home games are now on sale online through Ticketmaster and UKFootballTix.com.
For fans planning to attend multiple games this fall, season tickets continue to offer the best value and guarantee access to all home games at Kroger Field. Season tickets remain available, including fewer than 110 seats remaining in the brand-new North Upper Level Chairback sections.
Fans also may purchase 3-, 4- and 5-game mini-pack options, providing flexibility while securing seats for some of the season’s most anticipated matchups.
For more information on the UK football team, visit ukathletics.com/football and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and X.
