Plans for Nutter Field House renovation, new field Kroger turf and track facility

The Nutter Field House, which currently features an indoor practice football field and an indoor track, will be renovated in the near future. The facility will transition into a full-blown practice football facility, with the indoor track being moved to the Jim Green Indoor Track and Field Facility, which is currently being constructed for a cost of $20 million.

Constructed in 1992, Nutter Field House’s football field has been surrounded by a 290-meter track. As a result, the size of the end zones are nearly 10 yards shorter than the regulation size.

This has forced receivers and other skill players to make sudden and irregular changes in motion in order to prevent them from running onto the track. The design flaw’s potential for injuries and even damage to the track have been apparent for decades.

These issues have frustrated Mark Stoops, who expressed his relief last week with the media when talking about the new $5 million renovation that was announced in 2022. “I think it’s going to help us all, number one, with the function, being able to practice in here,” Stoops said.

Stoops added on, saying, “Just to be able to function and have the room and the space, it’s going to really help us. And obviously, cosmetically it’ll look a lot better and nicer. We’re really excited about that.”

Another exciting update for the Kentucky program is the new turf for both Nutter Field House and Kroger Field, with a total cost of $1.8 million.

Below are renderings of Nutter Field House, Kroger Field turf, and the outside of the Jim Green Indoor Track and Field Facility. Check them out!

Vito Tisdale committed to Kentucky in 2020 as a four-star safety, pledging to play for Wildcats over Alabama, Georgia, and LSU among others during the All-American game on NBC. A Bowling Green native and the son of Nappy Roots’ ‘Big V,’ Tisdale arrived in Lexington with high expectations.

As a freshman, Tisdale played the role of a playmaker on special teams, totaling 20 tackles. Entering his sophomore season, he was expected to take another step but was suspended for preseason training camp and the first month of the 2021 season for an off-campus fight with a fraternity, which resulted in charges for six Kentucky football players.

Tisdale was ultimately cleared of his charges and returned to the field to tally 21 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, on the season. This season would end up being his playing on the field for Kentucky.

In the opening days of 2022 spring practice, Tisdale suffered a season-ending ACL tear. After undergoing surgery and months of rehab, Tisalde was expected to be available for spring practice this week. Instead, his time at Kentucky is over.

On Tuesday afternoon, Kentucky football announced via Twitter that Tisdale was dismissed from the team for a “violation of team rules,” with no further comment.

In a since-deleted tweet, Tisdale confirmed that he is longer part of the team and showed appreciation for his time at Kentucky.

This loss will have an impact on the Wildcats, as they lose a talented defensive back, which also hurts depth. Fortunately, the Wildcats have proven players that are capable of filling that spot: Alex Afari, Zion Childress, and Andru Phillips.

Ryan Montgomery is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 class who visited UK on Junior day and liked his visit to the point where he is going to return for a 2nd visit this spring.

Montgomery is a 6’3, 210-pound four-star quarterback from Findlay, OH with a rocket of an arm as a sophomore this past fall. He has an older brother named Luke Montgomery who plays offensive tackle for Ohio State which is also one of the schools that have offered him.

This kid is a hot commodity in the 2025 class already fielding offers from college football powerhouses such as Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Tennessee, and Miami. This would be an enormous get for Kentucky over schools of that caliber.

Liam Coen’s return to Lexington has made it possible for kids like this to have Kentucky on their list. High-level high school kids want to learn from a guy with NFL experience in an NFL scheme.

Montgomery will visit UK once again on March 30th during spring practice to see what a Kentucky practice would normally look like and see where he would fit in if he were to come to UK.

This next season will be a big year for UK and Coen to prove to everyone including future quarterback prospects that this offense is one where they would be able to flourish. Kentucky’s struggles on offense last season were not what these recruits want to see and play in the future.

Along with Montgomery, Kentucky is also after Cutter Boley and Stone Saunders in the 2025 class to be able to bring an elite quarterback recruit to Lexington.

This a big spring visit for Kentucky that will need to impress for Montgomery to consider playing here in 2025.