Cameron Rising suffered his third season-ending injury this year, but he may not call it quits just yet. While the Utah Utes quarterback has all the time he needs to make a decision, the program will role with true freshman Isaac Wilson as its starter — for the present and likely the future.
If Rising opts to return for an eighth campaign, it may be with a different school. Which landing spots make the most sense for the collegiate veteran?
Will Cameron Rising Enter the Transfer Portal?
Rising missed time with an injury to his throwing hand early in the season, and in his Week 7 return, he suffered a lower leg injury that will sideline him for the rest of the year. He’s likely eligible for a second medical redshirt after playing in just three games, and it is an option head coach Kyle Whittingham discussed during a press conference this week.
“That’s a possibility, I think,” Whittingham said. “I don’t know. We’d have to explore it in detail with compliance. I’m not even sure Cam would be interested in going that route. He’s got a lot to think about. Just take a step back right now and let him get this most recent injury thoroughly diagnosed, go to rehab, and then that would be something we talk about sooner rather than later.”
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Rising’s journey has been filled with obstacles. After transferring from the Texas Longhorns to Utah in 2019, he had to sit out the year due to transfer rules. In 2020, his season came to a crushing halt after just one game because of an injury. Then, he missed the entire 2023 campaign while rehabbing a severe knee injury suffered in the Rose Bowl.
At 25, Rising has cemented himself as a legend in Salt Lake City. His leadership fueled some of the most significant moments in Utah’s history, including back-to-back Pac-12 titles and two Rose Bowl berths. However, he may just be that for the Utes — history — with Wilson running the show.
If Rising returns to college football and enters the transfer portal, which programs make for the best landing spots?
UCLA Bruins
The 2024 season has been a lost one for the UCLA Bruins under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster. Both sides of the ball have struggled to compete in the Big Ten, but Rising could be offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s answer.
A return to Southern California would be a homecoming for Rising, who grew up near Los Angeles and built much of his career on the West Coast.
USC Trojans
Speaking of Los Angeles, how about the other Southern California program? Rising actually has ties to the USC Trojans via Lincoln Riley. As a recruit in the 2018 class, Rising originally committed to play for Riley at the Oklahoma Sooners before flipping to Texas the following spring.
Though that commitment didn’t last, the connection between the two resurfaced during their head-to-head matchups in the Pac-12. With USC possibly in the market for a QB next offseason if Miller Moss moves on or continues to struggle, Riley could rekindle his relationship with Rising.
Washington Huskies
Rising and head coach Jedd Fisch have known each other for years, when Fisch was the OC at UCLA and Rising was a star QB at Newbury Park High School in Southern California.
“I remember meeting with him in 2017 at UCLA and talking to him about coming to play for us at UCLA. … I’ve always thought of him as a very good quarterback, athletic quarterback, and is certainly able to make plays with his feet,” Fisch said in 2022.
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If Rising enters the open market, Fisch could finally join forces with him at the Washington Huskies, with current starter Will Rogers out of eligibility. Of course, true freshman dual-threat Demond Williams Jr. is waiting in the wings, but Rising could be the better immediate option.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers head coach Tim Beck was Rising’s OC and QBs coach at Texas and was a big reason for landing his commitment. He also expressed his desire for the QB to remain in Austin when Rising decided to leave for Utah.
Redshirt sophomore Ethan Vasko is currently the starting QB for the Chanticleers, but his presence likely wouldn’t stop Beck from reuniting with Rising.
Louisville Cardinals
Jeff Brohm has targeted heavily experienced transfer QBs in each of the last two offseasons (Jack Plummer and Tyler Shough), and he could do so again in 2025 — and college passers don’t come much more experienced than Rising.
The Louisville Cardinals have competed for the ACC crown, but if the Calif. native is healthy, they could get over the hump.
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