Utah quarterback Cam Rising is medically retiring from football, he announced Wednesday via X. Rising says the decision comes after suffering a hand injury against Baylor last season. He played a few weeks later against Arizona State but missed nine total games in 2024.
“Due to a hand injury I suffered during the Baylor game, I’ve been advised by two orthopedic physicians that I will never be able to return to playing football,” Rising said in a statement. “I’ll be obtaining a 3rd medical opinion and will udnergo the recommended surgery. I will continue to rehab and do all I can to get healthy. In the meantime, I will unfortunately be forced to medically retire from the game I love.
“My why has always been my family. I have always thought of my teammates as my brothers and always will. Thank you guys for always pushing me to improve and just making this game enjoyable. Thank you to the coaches for guiding me in the right direction to become a better man and football player. Coach Ludwig, thank you for turning me into a football nerd and showing me the correct way to respect that game. Lastly, thank you to all the fans and everyone that supported me throughout my career. You all made the moments special.”
Rising played high school football at Newbury Park (CA), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 261 overall recruit in the 2018 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Texas was the school he signed with coming out of high school, choosing to play for Tom Herman. Casey Thompson, another college football journeyman, was in the same class. However, only one season was spent in Austin before heading out West to play for Utah. Head coach Kyle Whittingham is the one who took Rising under his wing and saw the results play out for the Utes.
Rising wound up playing in 30 games during his time in Salt Lake City. He attempted 778 passes while completing 490 of them for a percentage of 63%. Just over 6,100 yards were thrown for with 53 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
The 2021 and 2022 seasons were when Rising was able to play a complete schedule. Utah won the Pac-12 on both occasions and made its way to the Rose Bowl for the first two times in program history.
