In a recent interview with Josh Newman of The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham offered an update on Utes start quarterback Cam Rising.
“Whittingham told The Salt Lake Tribune last week in a wide-ranging interview that Rising is on, if not ahead of schedule in his recovery,” Newman said in his article regarding Rising’s return. He suffered an ACL tear in the first half of Utah’s Rose Bowl 35-21 defeat to Penn State on January 2.
However, while he remains on schedule, it still is unclear if he will be ready for week one of the Utes season when they host the Florida Gators on August 31. Newman notes that for Rising to play in their season opener he would likely have to be available to practice at least by the mid-way point of the Utes fall camp.
“If he’s not ready until a few days before the game, it’s unlikely he would play in that game because he just wouldn’t be completely sharp in all other areas,” Whittingham also said in the interview.
For Rising, the ACL injury marked the second-straight season he suffered an injury in the Rose Bowl which kept him from finishing the game. In the 2022 Rose Bowl, Rising suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter against Ohio State. The Utes would eventually go on to lose 48-45 on a field goal as time expired.
Rising, entering his sixth year of college football completed 64.7% of his passes in the 2022 season for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns while also adding 465 yards and six additional touchdowns on the ground.
If Rising is unavailable for the Utes’ season opener on August 31, the Utes will decide between fourth-year quarterback Bryson Barnes and a pair of second-year quarterbacks, Brandon Rose and Nate Johnson.
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