Utes Quarterback Cam Rising Will Return For One More Season With Utah Football
Jan 9, 2023, 11:04 AM
Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) looks to pass as Utah and USC play at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY- Utes quarterback Cam Rising has decided to return to Utah football for the 2023 football season. He walked earlier in the year for Senior Day and had indicated he was likely done at the college level but has since had a change of heart.
BAD MOON IS BACK 👀#badmoonrising 😉 pic.twitter.com/RrwsCIiEXi
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) January 9, 2023
Rising’s return to the Utes comes with some uncertainty as he sustained an injury in the Rose Bowl that head coach Kyle Whittingham deemed as a looking “serious” after the game. Regardless of Rising’s ultimate ability to play in 2023, the two-time team captain has the respect of the locker room and will provide top-tier leadership to a strong returning cast.
Cam Rising’s Utah Career
Rising has been a great find for Utah at the quarterback position after transferring to the team in 2019 from Texas. Since Rising’s arrival to Salt Lake City his leadership has helped see the Utes through some unimaginably dark times while also taking them to new heights.
With Rising at the helm, Utah has won two-straight Pac-12 Championships and made two Rose Bowl appearances. His play has helped spark national conversation about the Utes being an interesting potential team for the College Football Playoff along with some outside Heisman talk. These are all conversations and opportunities Ute fans at one point could only dream of the Utah football program being consistently a part of.
In 2021 Rising “broke out” finishing the year 204 of 320 passing for 2,493 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added 499 rushing yards off of 79 carries along with six additional touchdowns. Rising was named Pac-12 All-Conference first-team after helping the Utes win their first Pac-12 Championship and Rose Bowl appearance in program history. Rising’s personal and team accomplishments all came about while dealing with the shocking deaths of teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe.
Rising improved his stats in 2022, but in a quarterback heavy class including improved quarterback play in just the Pac-12 alone, Rising got a little lost in the shuffle.
QB1 for the Utes completed 249 of 385 passes in 2022 for 3,024 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions for a 64.7% completion rate. Rising added an additional 465 yards and six touchdowns on the ground off of 77 carries. The talented quarterback ended 2022 as an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and the Pac-12 Championship MVP.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
