Connect with us

Football

Kentucky Wide Receiver, Jordan Anthony, Continues to Prove Himself as One of the Fastest Athletes in the Country

Published

on

UK Athletics

Jordan Anthony is the fastest sprinter on the University of Kentucky campus and one of the fastest athletes in the country. A dual-sport athlete from the 2022 recruiting class, Anthony committed to Kentucky to play football and run track.

His most impressive feat in high school was running a 100m time of 10.14 and a 200m time of 20.52 in the U20 championships. According to the International Association of Athletics Federations, Anthony’s times ranked 2nd and 4th in the world in the under-18 category, classifying him as a world-class sprinter.

Just for reference, prior to choosing Kentucky, Anthony’s impressive abilities earned him scholarship offers from elite track and field programs such as Alabama, Florida State, and LSU. These were in addition to his football offers from programs such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

Advertisement

This past football season, Anthony played just a couple of snaps as a freshman, using his redshirt. However, he is already emerging as a star in the track program.

On Jan. 16th, Anthony broke the Kentucky track and field freshman record in the 60-meter dash (6.57 seconds) to win the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet in his collegiate track debut. The crazy part, he did so having less than a week of practice since transitioning from football to track season.

With a week of more practice, Anthony looked to run even faster the following week at the 2023 Red Raider Open, and he did just that. Running a blazing time of 6.55 seconds, Anthony broke the school’s freshman record for the second week in a row and was just 0.01 shy of the school record held by Olympian Tim Harden.

Liam Coen recruited Anthony in 2021, prior to leaving for the NFL. Now that Coen has returned to Lexington, expect Anthony to have an impact on the Kentucky offense. With his elite speed, he will excel in the slot receiver position and plays such as jet sweeps, just to get the ball in his hand and let him make a play.

Advertisement

Alongside other talented young playmakers from his class such as Dane Key and Barrion Brown, Anthony will look to get more playing time and help the Kentucky offense improve on an underwhelming 2022 season.

Before then, it looks like he is going to continue to set school records, with the track schedule running into April (May and June for Conference and SEC Championships) it looks like he will have plenty of opportunities to do so.

Advertisement

Football

LOOK: Photos of Kentucky Football Facility Renovations, New Kroger Field Turf

Published

on

UK Athletics

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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!

Photo Courtesy of UK Athletics
Photo Courtesy of UK Athletics
Photo Courtesy of UK Athletics
Photo Courtesy of UK Athletics
Photo Courtesy of UK Athletics

Continue Reading

Football

Vito Tisdale Dismissed from Kentucky Football Team for “Violation of Team Rules”

Published

on

Jacob Noger | UK Football

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Football

Mark Stoops Gives Promising Update on New Quarterback, Devin Leary, as He Recovers From Pectoral Tear

Published

on

The News&Observer via IMAGN

After being projected as a top NFL prospect since the end of the 2021 season, it was well-known that last season would be Will Levis’ last at Kentucky.

With that being said, the staff knew they had to go find another high-level quarterback and that is exactly what they did. In December, the Wildcats made the decision to bring back Liam Coen who played a part in bringing in former N.C. State quarterback, Devin Leary, from the transfer portal.

While Leary set program and conference records at his old school, he is coming off a pectoral tear alongside his throwing arm that occurred back in October. While his commitment brought excitement, it also brought some questions, such as if Leary would be healthy enough to participate in Spring practice.

Advertisement

Kentucky fans should gain some confidence as Leary is participating in Spring practice, which started on Monday. According to Leary, he is ahead of his rehab process and has shown no arm pain after throwing but the staff wants to make sure, he is 100% healed before “ripping passes at 100%.” For that reason, he will be on a throw count.

On Monday, Stoops took to the stand in the Spring practice opening presser, providing an update on Kentucky’s new QB #1. “He looked really good… He was able to go for basically an entire practice,” Stoops said.

Even with the encouraging news on Leary, there is still the question surrounding the quarterback room, who is going to be the backup?

Obviously, Kentucky will have different options in Kaiya Sheron, Destin Wade, and Deuce Hogan, who have all been considered QB #2 at one time in their Kentucky career, which will make the battle that much more interesting.

Advertisement

Again, the main question has been answered and Leary is healthy enough to participate in Spring practice and get better accustomed to the team. Hopefully, with Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen coming back he can resonate Kentucky’s offense this year with new QB #1, Devin Leary.

Continue Reading

Trending