The Kentucky football team is preparing for spring practice to kick off next week. There are still plenty of unknowns after Will Stein transformed the program. On Tuesday, we got a chance to get to know Cutter Leftwich, the man tasked with rebuilding the Big Blue Wall. He spent plenty of time talking about his offensive line in a new No Huddle! edition of 11 Personnel, but there were a few other things from the conversation that will give you a better idea of who is leading the Kentucky offensive line.
Leftwich’s life has revolved around the gridiron. The son of a coach, his father Spencer, spent 30 years in the college ranks at jobs ranging from Stephen F. Austin to Pitt and Arizona. Cutter was good enough to play college football at McNeese State, starting in 20 games at center before an injury forced him to retire, but there were limitations to Leftwich’s game.
“I’ve always had my hand on the ground, always been an offensive lineman my entire life, never even scored a touchdown,” Leftwich admitted.
While he was busy doing the dirty work in the trenches, his older brother, Mack, was spinning it as a quarterback. Even though his career at UTEP didn’t pop off the page, he’s a rising star in the coaching ranks. Leftwich is a two-time Broyles Award nominee, given each year to the sport’s top assistant coach.
In 2024, Mack had Texas State’s offense firing on all cylinders. He was scheduled to face off against Cutter’s North Texas Mean Green in a bowl game, but left to become the Texas Tech play-caller before the postseason matchup. Fast forward a year, and the two are facing off in the College Football Playoff.
“Me and my older brother are extremely close. We normally talk at least once a week, if not more. But to be completely honest, leading up to that game, there was very little chatter between us, very little talking… If there was one thing for sure, my Mom was a nervous wreck going into that game.”
Leftwich’s Ducks got the last laugh, blanking Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl. “I’ll tell you what, the family group chat after that one was buzzing, definitely in my favor there,” Cutter admitted.
“That was a really cool experience, to be honest with you. To be able to be in the College Football Playoff, be able to play in such a big game, have your brother there, your family there, and coaching against your brother, that was a really cool, unique experience. And I was definitely excited after the victory.”
Buffalo wing connoisseurs will tell you that flats are superior to drums in every single way. Others are happy to keep it simple with a drum. The new Kentucky offensive line falls into the latter category.
“I am a drums guy myself. This might — I don’t want to offend anybody or anything, but I think there’s a little bit too much work there with flats. I take the easy road. No matter what, I drench ’em in ranch,” said Leftwich. “I’m 100% ranch, 100%. There’s not a bite that goes by that’s not gonna be dipped in some ranch.”
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Will Stein has connections to many of the assistants on his new staff, but few have as much experience working with the Wildcats’ new head coach as Leftwich. He first stepped into coaching as a graduate assistant at UTSA when Stein served as the Roadrunners’ pass game coordinator. Leftwich also spent the 2023 and 2025 seasons as an assistant offensive line coach at Oregon.
“I actually had the opportunity to live with Coach Stein for a little bit in the move-in and the transition,” Leftwich shared. They’ve spent quite a bit of time together, and he shed a little light on what Stein will be like on the sideline with the Wildcats.
“He’s fiery. He’s energetic. When he gives pregame speeches, when he runs meetings, there’s guys that want to run through a brick wall for him. There’s nothing he loves more than scoring points, that’s for sure — of course, his family and all that — but he loves scoring points. He’s a tremendous mind, is a really, really good football coach. But aside from that, one of the big reasons why I’ve continued to be able to follow him is that he’s just an amazing person. He really cares, not only for his players, but the coaches he coaches with and their families.”
