Cam Rising was listed as the starting QB when Utah football released their official depth chart before the season opener. However, the QB hasn’t been able to make it to the gridiron for the Utes this season as he continues to recover from an injury.
Rising suffered an ACL injury in the Rose Bowl against Penn State in January and has been out of action since then. There’s been a lot of anticipation among fans on his return this season, but uncertainty has clouded the whole scenario throughout the season.
Is Cam Rising playing against Washington?
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Cam Rising will not be available for selection this weekend as No. 13 Utah plays on the road against No. 5 Washington in a Week 11 Pac-12 matchup. The quarterback is not expected to return to action this ongoing season as to undergo intensive rehabilitation.
Utah fan base has experienced growing frustration throughout the season due to the lack of a clear timeline regarding the return of the star QB. In October, Rising provided insight into the reasons behind the prolonged duration of his recovery from a knee injury in an interview with ESPN.
“I wasn’t really expecting to do this, but I just want to let everybody know I didn’t just tear my ACL. I tore my meniscus, MPFL, and MCL. It was a big surgery and it’s not an easy comeback. I’ve been working my tail off.”
“There are guys that have had similar injuries to this like Kyler Murray, Hendon Hooker, who have decided not to play this season. I’m grinding and doing everything I possibly can, and even the fact I’m going out there and practicing. I’m ahead of schedule.”
Surgeon claims Rising is ahead of schedule
Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who is recognized as one of the leading orthopedic knee surgeons in the country, conducted the surgery on Rising in January. With the permission of Cam Rising, he gave some details of the injury to The Athletic, noting the quarterback is recovering well.
“With regard to where Cam is, he has been right on or ahead of schedule the entire time with what he was able to do and what we would let him do,” ElAttrache said.
“He cruised through all of that and actually put himself in a position where, when you looked at him, you lost track of what kind of injury he had, how big it was and how big of a surgery it was.”
Cam Rising was earlier anticipated to enter the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. However, considering he will miss the whole 2023 season, the quarterback is expected to return to college football in 2024. This will notably help boost his draft chances ahead of 2025.
