Vito Tisdale Suffers Season-Ending Knee Injury in Spring Practice

Kentucky just got thinner at a position that cannot afford it. Sources tell Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones that Vito Tisdale suffered a torn ACL and meniscus during spring practice. The knee injury is expected to sideline him for the entire 2022 season.

Tisdale was expected to play a significant role in the secondary this fall. After primarily playing nickel during his first two seasons on campus, Kentucky was experimenting with a move to cornerback this spring. Described as “one of Kentucky’s best 11” on defense, Brad White and Mark Stoops were looking for ways to get Vito more involved at a position of need. Now we’ll have to wait another year to see what kind of impact Tisdale can make, all while the Cats are running out of options at cornerback.

A former four-star recruit from Bowling Green High School, Tisdale was limited to seven games in 2021, sidelined while officials investigated an incident at an off-campus fraternity party. Despite the limitations, Tisdale recorded 19 tackles, a sack and a pass break-up, setting him up for a breakout season in 2022.

Season-ending injuries are not uncommon in spring practice. Last year linebacker D’Eryk Jackson and wide receiver Clevan Thomas went down in the spring. Thomas’ knee injury sidelined him for the season, but Jackson made an unexpected recovery from an Achilles tear to lead UK in tackles against Louisville.

Vito Tisdale’s Loss Hurts Secondary Depth

Kentucky is actively pursuing help for the secondary in the transfer portal. Former Ole Miss DB Keidron Smith is a target that has planned a visit for the Blue-White Game. The significance of his recruitment just cranked up a notch.

The Wildcats still have options at Tisdale’s primary position, nickel. Joel Williams was a highly-touted four-star high school recruit that flashed in big moments last fall. He could get some help from other safeties too, like Taj Dodson and Jalen Geiger. However, there are more questions than answers on the outside at cornerback. Right now the inexperienced group needs to get reps, and preferably some help from veterans. Last year the Cats turned lemons into lemonade by adding Jacquez Jones after Jackson’s spring practice injury. Hopefully Stoops and Co. can recreate that magic in the transfer portal to help fill the void left by Vito.