Vito Tisdale has to learn to stay dialed in every play

Vito Tisdale (Jeff Houchin Photo)

Sophomore safety Vito Tisdale suffered a “little injury” in Kentucky’s practice earlier this week but coach Mark Stoops said it was “one of those effort plays” that coaches like to see. Tisdale was a big-time recruit from Kentucky out of Bowling Green High School. He was a top 20 safety in his recruiting class and was named a U.S. Army All-American. He could have picked Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, or others but decided to stay in the Bluegrass to play.

He made 20 tackles in 10 games as a true freshman and steadily got better. In the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl win over North Carolina State he had a season-high six tackles.

“Vito is going to be a really good football player. All players are different with the way they learn, the way they play, the way they act. He’s definitely a live one and he plays that way,” Stoops said.

“I think you guys can see that. It’s not in a bad way, just sometimes off the field he’s in line as well. But he’s been no issue. He’s getting better and can be a very good football player.”

Defensive coordinator Brad White said at Media Day that Tisdale had plenty of skills but “unconfined or unbridled” that skill set is 50-50.

“The big challenge for him is to stay focused, stay dialed in,” White said. “For him to be somebody that is a solid contributor for us it has got to be down in, down out. He has to focus on understanding his responsibility.

“It can’t be float, find the ball, get the ball. That’s fine when he gets it but it can also lead to a really big play (for the other team).”

That reminds me of former UK linebacker Jordan Jones. He could be spectacular making big plays but also forget his responsibilities at times and leave holes in the defense that got exposed for big plays. Jones was also “a live one” but Stoops kept the faith and continued to let Jones develop as a player.

Tisdale could be a big-time playmaker. He has the size, speed, and skills. He just has to harness his tendency to take off at times on his own, find his niche in White’s defense and learn to make big plays within the system which he is more than capable of doing.