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Utah quarterback Cameron Rising was the talk of the Pac-12 town last season, leading the Utes to a Pac-12 championship over USC before tearing his ACL in the Rose Bowl. He has been on the road to recovery for 10 months now and still has yet to be seen on the field for a game. Utah has not publicized any timeline for his return. Backups Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson have been filling in for him, but can we really expect Rising to return to the Utah field this season?
Rising recently revealed that in addition to tearing his ACL, he also tore his meniscus, MPFL, and MCL in the Rose Bowl. This means that the team likely knew ahead of the season that Rising would not be returning within the first half of fall, but did not make that information public.
Rising, now 24 years old, will have missed half of the season if he sits out on Saturday as Utah faces Cal. At this point, it may be the best decision for his career to sit out the remainder of the season and start looking toward 2024 — whether that’s at Utah or at a different big-name school that would give him more NIL earning opportunities. He has played at Utah since 2019, but could have his sights set on a school that needs a quarterback — USC, perhaps, who will lose Caleb Williams this offseason.
If he doesn’t stay in the Pac-12, Alabama is another option, as they don’t seem to have much faith in their current QB lineup. Michigan’s JJ McCarthy will likely leave for the draft, and Notre Dame will lose Sam Hartman after this season. If he’s hoping to play at the next level, Rising should redshirt this season and focus on preparing for 2024, whether that’s in Salt Lake or elsewhere.