Over the last few weeks, Utah star quarterback Cam Rising’s availability has been one of the top stories not just for the Utes but in all of college football. Leading up to the season, it appeared that while Rising may miss the first week or two of the season, the signal caller would eventually be able to return early this season.
Now, entering week six of the season, Rising’s potential return remains a mystery.
The last time the college football world saw Rising was on January 2, 2023, against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl.
In the Rose Bowl, Rising would go down with a knee injury in the third quarter of the Utes’ eventual loss to the Nittany Lions. For most of the last nine months, it was under the assumption that Rising suffered a torn ACL in the game. However, that was far from the case.
On a weekly radio spot on ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City, Rising gave further insight into his knee injury as he continued to work his way back from the injury.
“I wasn’t really expecting to do this,” Rising told radio ESPN 700 host Bill Riley on Thursday. “But I think it’s important that I just let everybody know. I didn’t just tear my ACL. I tore my ACL, meniscus, MPFL (medial patellofemoral ligament), and MCL. It was a big surgery and it’s not an easy comeback.”
Rising would further add that both Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and then Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker both suffered similar injuries late last year for their respective teams but have chosen to not play this season. Rising, however, has chosen to try to work his way back to the field this fall, a tough task to say the least.
“I’m grinding and doing everything I possibly can,” he said. “I’m ahead of schedule. I’m trying to make sure that I can be out there because no one wants to be out there with those guys grinding on the field more than me. But at the end of the day, it’s my body, it’s my body that has to recover, and not really anyone that can say much besides the best doctor in the world, Doctor ElAttrache, down in LA, can say. I haven’t really talked to any other doctors about my knee. Just been focused on continuing to improve each and every day and I know I’m getting closer. Just gotta keep making the days count. I’ll be back as I’m ready to go.”
While Rising looks to continue to work his way back to the field of play, the Utah Utes are looking to survive a rigorous Pac-12 schedule without him. The Utes are 4-1 on the season but are coming off their first loss of the season, a 21-7 defeat at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis last Friday. The Utes are off this week but will return to action next Saturday against the California Golden Bears.