David Gilbertson, entering his second season at Nevada, was elevated to the Wolf Pack's offensive coordinator role following the 2024 campaign. In 2024, Gilbertson oversaw Nevada's quarterbacks and wide receivers as the groups posted significantly improved production from the previous two campaigns.
Under Gilbertson's tutelage, quarterback Brendon Lewis had a career season in his second season as the Pack's QB1, completing 67.6 percent of his passes (second in the Mountain West) for 2,290 yards and 16 touchdowns—up from just two touchdown passes in 2023. Lewis was one of the Mountain West's most prolific players, producing 3,065 yards of total offense (third in the conference), including 775 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Overall, Lewis had a hand in 24 of Nevada's 41 offensive touchdowns, and ranked fourth in the Mountain West in pass efficiency (141.72).
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Out wide, the trio of Jaden Smith, Cortez Braham Jr., and Marcus Bellon combined for 2,095 yards and 15 of Nevada's 19 touchdown catches. The trio totaled 157 receptions on the season, with Smith's 62 catches and Braham Jr.'s 57 ranking sixth and ninth in the conference, respectively. Together, Smith and Braham made Nevada one of just two schools (Hawai'i was the other) to have two receivers in the conference's top 10 in receptions, and one of just three schools with two receivers in the MW top 10 in receiving yards (Smith was sixth with 849 yards, Braham 10th with 724). Bellon, for his part, caught 39 passes for 522 yards and four touchdowns.
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Gilbertson came to Nevada ahead of the 2024 season after two seasons as co-pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Akron. Prior to his time at Akron, Gilbertson spent five seasons (2017-21) at Oregon, including four as an offensive analyst.
While at Akron, he oversaw two Zip wide receivers, Jasaiah Gathings and Daniel George, being named to the All-MAC Second Team in 2023. Gathings paced the Zips with 55 catches for 575 yards and a touchdown, while George hauled in a scoring pass among his 52 receptions for 529 yards.
Gilbertson was an integral part of Oregon's success on offense from 2017-21. The Ducks improved their win total over three consecutive seasons with Gilbertson on staff, while winning back-to-back Pac-12 Â championships in 2019 and 2020. The Ducks won seven games in his first season, before winning nine games in 2018 then a 12-win season with a Pac-12 Championship and Rose Bowl title in 2019.
Gilbertson started his coaching career at South Florida, where he spent three seasons (2014-16) working with quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends.
In his first year on staff, Gilbertson coached quarterbacks and wide receivers as a graduate assistant. In year two, he served as the tight ends coach before ending his tenure with the Bulls as an offensive analyst working with quarterbacks in 2016. USF played in back-to-back bowls in 2015 (Miami Beach Bowl) and 2016 (Birmingham Bowl).
Over three seasons at USF, Gilbertson played an instrumental role in helping the Bulls increase their win total each season from four wins in 2014, to eight wins in 2015 to 11 wins in 2016. After ranking 119th (17.2 ppg) in the country in scoring in 2014, South Florida improved dramatically over the next two seasons ending the 2016 campaign fourth in scoring (43.8 ppg), fifth in rushing (285.31 ypg) and 11th in total offense (511.5 ypg).
During the 2016 season, Gilbertson helped coach American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year Quinton Flowers. The Bulls' signal caller ranked in the top 20 nationally in 11 statistical categories, including seven top-10 rankings.
Flowers finished the season fourth in the country in yards per carry (7.73), tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns (18 – a USF season record), ninth in points responsible for (252) and points per game (19.4) and 10th in total offense (334.0 ypg). Amongst quarterbacks, he ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards trailing only Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
Including Flowers, Gilbertson coached three players at USF that earned All-American Athletic Conference honors. Wide receiver Andre Davis was an honorable mention pick in 2014, while tight end Sean Price claimed second-team honors in 2015. Both Davis and Flowers played in the NFL, with Davis suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Flowers playing for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Gilbertson was a quarterback at Washington State, where he played for head coaches Paul Wulff and Mike Leach. He earned two letters and was a Pac-12 Conference all-academic honoree during his five years in Pullman before graduating in 2013 with a degree in communications. Gilbertson was the second member of his family to play for the Cougars, joining his grandfather, Keith Gilbertson Sr.
His father, Keith, was the head coach at Idaho from 1986-1988, at Cal from 1992-95 and at Washington from 2003-04. Gilbertson and his wife, Marcelina who played volleyball at WSU, were married in 2017.
