1989 Jeep ignition stuck

My son came home in his 89 Jeep Cherokee (4. OL, manual) with the key stuck in the ignition in the on position. The key could be pulled out of the switch but the switch itself would not budge. The release lever wouldn't do a thing so we popped the clutch to kill the car. That's when I noticed the tilt steering is also pretty loose. There is around a half inch of play up and down even when the steering wheel is locked into place. I looked up in the Jeep manual thinking it is a bad key lock cylinder but the loose tilt steering wheel has me puzzled. Thoughts?