Earlier today, all charges against the six Kentucky Wildcats football players were dropped, as a Lexington grand jury decided against indicting them.
Mark Stoops revealed to the media on Tuesday night that those six players — Vito Tisdale, RJ Adams, Joel Williams, JuTahn McClain, Dru Phillips, and Earnest Sanders — had returned to practice last Monday for a re-acclimation process.
“The last time I touched base with you about this...I mentioned I would let the legal process play out,” Stoops stated. “That has played out, and we are glad to welcome the players back to the team to be eligible to play this weekend.
“They did return to practice activity last Monday, so they’ve been at it for over a week now. They were not cleared to play last weekend, but we let them get back.
“Part of that is we knew they had a hearing coming up and wanted to give them time to get back into shape, get their acclimatization process under their belt. We got through that process, through the legal steps.
“Thank you to the grand jury for doing the due diligence and doing the work. We appreciate that. We’re glad to have the players back.”
All six players will be eligible to play this weekend against the Florida Gators, although it remains to be seen if any of them will see the field.
With Kentucky being thin in the secondary, Vito Tisdale, Dru Phillips, and Joel Williams could also see some action if Stoops so chooses. Tisdale played extensive snaps as a true freshman last season, so there’s reason to believe he’ll be a big part of the defense once he’s back up to speed.
JuTahn McClain is also another talented running back who would be hard to keep off the field.
“They’re definitely backed up,” Stoops said. “I noticed it today. We’re excited to get them back, but watching them, definitely need a lot of reps.
“They were back last week, but knowing they weren’t going to play...the game speed and game reps, I don’t know how fast that will happen.”
Kickoff Saturday is at 6 pm ET.