Alpha Dog Rising Set to Lead Utes

Utah is set to kick off against Washington State with a renewed sense of purpose and optimism.

No, Charlie Brewer wasn’t the sole issue behind the Utes’ struggles. Still, he wasn’t the solution either. With an offensive line that has struggled mightily and a set of skill players seemingly unable to capitalize in the red zone, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham made a change—one that can be argued was overdue—to Cam Rising.

Against San Diego State, the Utes didn’t complete their comeback and go home with a victory, Utah still needed only a little more than one quarter for the path forward to become perfectly clear, Rising gave the Utes the type of jolt that their offense needed.

"Cam's a great guy. He's very vocal, he makes sure he lets his voice be known and he always tries to get us in the right headspace,” said receiver Devaughn Vele. “Even when Charlie was starting, he would always talk to us on the sideline and make sure everything's good. And that's something that we need, especially during these tough times.”

That natural leadership is why Rising is a team captain. The ‘C’ on his jersey was never a consolation prize. He’s an ultimate team-first guy who inspires and motivates the guys around him, regardless of the situation.

“When Charlie won the job, there was no drop-off or disappointment from Cam that you could see,” said receiver Britain Covey. “He was still passionate. I think that's what people could rally behind was the fact that we're gonna get that from Cam 24/7 no matter who it is."

Rising is known as a steadying force in the locker room. That essential trait, coupled with his play, nearly won him the job out of fall camp. Now Whittingham realizes it’s that same trait that could re-energize a slumping but talented team.

"Leading by example is great, but it doesn't seem to work as well at the quarterback spot as it does in other spots," Whittingham said, before further emphasizing the importance of a quarterback having an Alpha Dog mentality.

Of course, had Rising not suffered his season-ending injury in the 2020 season opener, this battle, debate and second-guessing never would have occurred. How he progressed after suffering a torn labrum made Rising an outlier. Most quarterbacks coming back from that injury take a while to fully heal. In Rising’s case, he returned strong as ever and can sling the ball further than before.

“I just followed the protocol and did whatever I was told and they told me I could be back in this timeframe and that’s pretty much what I did,” Rising said. “I just stayed with the plan and trusted the process.”

Rising’s surgery was performed by James Andrews, who also did the same surgery on Drew Brees. Rising then followed with a rehab program put together by the same physical trainer that worked with Brees and then it was implemented in Utah and back at his home in California.

“I appreciate Danny James, he was a trainer here and Jim Magnuson, he was a trainer when I went back home,” Rising said. “Those guys really worked with me and helped me a lot.”

Rising claims he never really felt any mental hurdles, although the process was never easy.

“Early, right after I got through surgery and having to keep my arm in that position for such a long time, then to start stretching after my muscles being so tight, that was some of the hardest thing to do,” he said.

From there, steady progress followed. Rising was so impressed by the program, he’ll continue to implement it even after having a 100% recovery.

“What I’m still doing a lot of is working sub-scrap, just making sure my scraps can move back as far as they can,” explained Rising. “Then doing a lot of external and internal rotation. Also more joint mobility to get more flexibility out of my shoulders, so I can stretch more and even throw the ball farther with that.”

With the injury now behind him, and a positive and upbeat attitude in the midst of challenges he faced, Rising is ready to lead the Utes out of a difficult stretch that saw Utah go under .500 in non-conference games for the first time since 2000.

"I take great pride in just making sure that I'm setting the example and just focus on doing that, but also just making sure that everybody stays together and is really locked in on what we're trying to accomplish," said Rising. "That's the most important part of it.”

"I think this is a team that has athletes from top to bottom — running back room, receiver room, tight end room, O-line room,” he added. “We've got everything that we need on this team right now and just making sure that we go out there and play with swagger from the get-go."

The talent is there, struggles can be overcome, and now Whittingham has his Alpha Dog in control of the offense.