A week left in the UteNation countdown to kickoff series and today we discuss no. 7 Cam Rising. The accolades and preseason lists for Rising are numerous, yet he still remains a bit under the radar and underappreciated on the national scene. Baffling, we know. The senior quarterback has played in 27 games and logged 25 starts. Rising was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference first-team in 2021, honorable mention in 2022, and MVP of the Pac-12 title game in 2022.

With back-to-back conference titles, the captain of the captains is a Ute and Pac-12 legend already. Now, he has one last opportunity to stake his claim as the G.O.A.T. of all Utah G.O.A.T.s.

UteNation Take

To anyone who has watched Utah over the past couple seasons, it is clear that Rising is the engine that makes the offense really click. In his absence, the offense can still be effective, but it has sputtered when Rising is not in the lineup. Similar to 2022, a great season for Rising could mean a special season for Utah.

Going into the season and late into fall camp, all eyes have been on Rising’s health. He continues to rehab his knee injury that he suffered in the 2023 Rose Bowl. Whenever he is able to return, his health will continue to be a high priority and something to monitor closely. Even with all of the playmakers returning to the offense along with some new additions at receiver, Rising may be the only key that unlocks the offense’s full potential.

His injury clearance will come down to the wire for the season opener. However, Rising has done everything he can to put himself into a position for an early return to the field.

Remembering Rising's Recruitment

A former four-star recruit, Rising was rated as the no. 8 best pro-style quarterback and no. 149 overall ranked recruit in the class of 2018. He held 25 offers from the likes of Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma (and was a one-time Sooners commit), Oregon, Penn State—basically, everyone wanted him.

Due to the Utes landing Jack Tuttle early on, they didn’t pursue Cam, initially. When Rising entered the transfer portal, the Longhorns did everything they could to keep him, as they firmly believed he has NFL talent. However, Rising was off visiting Salt Lake City and falling in love with the place, before Texas could convince him otherwise.