Youngstown State · W 45-13 · FCS
No tackles.
South Carolina · W 35-34
No tackles.
Gates has tackles in 6 of Kentucky’s 8 games: none against Youngstown State and South Carolina.
“Really like how fast gates plays”
Aaron Gates
Erases the deep middle of the field. Played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. One game to point at: 5 tackles against LSU — Week 6, 2026.
17 tackles · 0.5 sacks
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans first named Aaron Gates vs South Alabama.
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Last game (Wk 8): 1 pass breakup, 3 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 6 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 17-45vs No. 12 Alabama | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 31-21@ No. 9 Texas A&M | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 45-21vs South Alabama | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 | |
| Wk 6 | W 35-34vs No. 10 LSU | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 21-13@ Oklahoma | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-17vs Vanderbilt | 3 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 17 | 12 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 7 |
Oct. 24 · W 34-17 vs Vanderbilt, play by play
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss on 3rd and 9. First quarter, tied 0-0.
His game this year: coverage — 7 passes defended in the 6 games with play by play.
How Kentucky’s defense played that day
Vanderbilt’s 8 drives: 5 stopped (2 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 5.
2 tackles, including 3 passes broken up, tied for the most passes broken up in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle, including 1 more for loss, 3 passes broken up, tied for 5th-most passes broken up in FBS that week. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 4 of his 5, sacks included.
Ratings of the games shown run from -12 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
41%7 pass breakupsTackle volume
17tackles this seasonTFL rate
9%2 TFL17 tackles · 1.5 for loss · 0.5 sacks · 7 pass breakups.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.0 |
| Road2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 2.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
Pass share
46.1%
233 pass / 272 run
Plays / game
63.1
8 games
Team sack rate
6.2%
257 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #93 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Billy Napier, Billy Gonzales and Will Stein.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Kentucky
