Kentucky dismisses safety Vito Tisdale for a violation of team rules
Kentucky safety Vito Tisdale has been dismissed from the program for a violation of team rules, the team announced Tuesday.
“Thank you for allowing me to pursue my academic and my athletic career at this prestigious university. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me on and off the field. To my brothers, I love you guys. We made a lifetime of memories over the last few years. Thank you for always supporting me through thick and thin,” Tisdale tweeted Tuesday after the news was announced.
He played nine games as a sophomore with two starts in 2021. He missed the first few games of the season after being charged with first-degree burglary and first-degree wanton endangerment after an incident at Kentucky fraternity. He and his five Kentucky teammates also charged were all cleared by a grand jury.
As the Wildcats lose a defensive back in Tisdale, they are working a number of transfers into the fold in the defensive backfield.
Safety Jantzen Dunn arrived from Ohio State and cornerback J.Q. Hardaway joined Kentucky after playing at Cincinnati. Both have a chance to make an impact for the Wildcats come fall.
“No, I think Jantzen and J.Q., they both are what you’re looking for. They both can run, they’re big guys,” Stoops said. “There’s a lot of length out there, I like that.”
Parting ways with a player as talented as Tisdale was likely not an easy decision, but one that Kentucky seems well positioned to withstand and come out strong on the other side of.
Tisdale returned to practice this month after ACL injury
Vito Tisdale missed the 2022 season with a torn ACL but had returned to the football field during spring practice.
“Vito’s back. And he’s close to full go. He’s not limited. He’s out there and able to go,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said earlier this month. “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 believed to be a potential difference maker on the Kentucky defense but never got the opportunity to prove himself.
Coming out of high school, Tisdale was a three-star recruit and No. 532 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle. The On3 Industry is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four major recruiting media services. The On3 Industry Ranking is the most advanced, complete and unbiased rating and ranking measurement in the industry.