Mark Stoops confirms Vito Tisdale is back practicing

Vito Tisdale looked to be a promising young piece for Kentucky football heading into last season as a junior. A torn ACL, though, had different plans during spring practice for the Bowling Green, KY native as he missed the entire year.

Now, Mark Stoops says he’s back and ready to get going. In his press conference following the Wildcat’s first spring practice of 2023, Stoops said Tisdale has returned to the field and is not limited but that the team is keeping a close eye on him and his knee.

“Vito’s back. And he’s close to full go. He’s not limited. He’s out there and able to go,” Stoops said. “We didn’t have pads on today. We’ll see how it goes whether it gets sore or not. Sometimes you’ve gotta be a little bit cautious with those knees.”

Tisdale was a three-star prospect and a Top-50 safety in the 2020 class per On3’s Industry Ranking. As one of the best players in the state, he elected to go to Lexington and compete for UK.

Over his first two seasons, Tisdale showed several flashes of being a high-impact player. During his freshman season, he finished with 10 tackles. He then showed growth across the board as a sophomore with 19 tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack. He was a promising prospect, especially considering how hard of a hitter he was on the defensive end, but the ACL tear has now set him back a whole year.

Tisdale has come a long way to get back on the field for his senior season. While Stoops and his staff will be looking out for him on the field, it’s safe to say he’s pulling at the chain to have his cleats on the gridiron and is just relieved to be out there this spring.

Stoops lists Kentucky players out in spring ball with injury

Devin Leary is on the practice field in blue and white and throwing the football like normal, according to Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops.

Leary, one of the top transfers in the 2023 cycle, tore his pectoral muscle last season with NC State. There were questions about whether or not Leary could throw with the first team during spring ball, but it seems the big-time transfer’s recovery is moving on quicker than originally anticipated.

“Yeah, he was out there pretty much full go here today,” Stoops said of Leary Monday. “Not sure what it is right off the top of my head, but I know he’s on a pitch count. The way we rotate quarterbacks and have depth, that didn’t affect me or the way I saw practice.”

Stoops also listed tight ends Josh Kattus and Jordan Dingle, DL Kahlil Saunders, RB Ramon Jefferson , and OL Nik Hall all out “until further notice,” and said that while some other members of the roster have been limited this spring, these were the five that had procedures over the offseason.