All college football fans always look forward to the next year, but fans at the University of Utah have much more to look forward to. Amidst all of the talk about Utah joining the Big 12 and new NIL deals, one conversation stands above the rest.
Injuries plagued Utah football last season, and fans missed out on seeing starting quarterback Cam Rising play for the Utes. In November, Rising announced he would be returning for another year on Twitter.
Despite all of the setbacks, Rising sits at No. 9 on ESPN’s top 10 college football quarterbacks in 2024. Rising is just one of two quarterbacks on the list who will be returning from injury. Kansas’s Jalon Daniels sits at No. 7 after playing just three games last year due to back issues.
Rising’s ranking is well deserved, and Utah fans have reason to be excited. Without Rising in 2023, Utah’s offense gained 83 fewer passing yards per game, as well as scoring only half as many passing touchdowns as in 2022.
Rising’s individual statistics are a huge contribution to Utah’s team statistics. In 2022, Utah averaged nearly 39 points per game with Rising at the helm. When he didn’t play in 2023, Utah averaged just 23 points per game.
Rising, a four-star recruit, has had a rocky career. After a redshirt season in 2019, Rising played in only one game in 2020 before a season-ending injury. After leading the Utes to back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022, the star quarterback was injured in the third quarter of the 2022 Rose Bowl. The recovery process was slow, and Rising sat the entirety of the 2023 season.
Bryson Barnes, who primarily filled the starting quarterback role in 2023, transferred to Utah State soon after Rising’s announcement. Barnes amassed 1,572 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 starts, helping Utah to an 8-5 season and an appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Rising sat the entirety of last year, remaining eligible for another season. In 2022 he threw for 3,034 yards in 13 starts, adding 77 rushes for 465 yards and six touchdowns.
Rising wasn’t the only player who missed Utah’s 2023 campaign. Star tight end Brant Kuithe sat the entirety of the season after suffering an injury against Arizona State in 2022.
Despite a rocky 2023 season, this well-rounded Utah team still found eight wins and a bowl appearance in a highly competitive Pac-12.
With NIL deals, the move to the Big 12 and the star quarterback once again at the helm, Utah fans are primed for an exciting 2024 season.
