Should there be pressure on Utah football star QB Cam Rising in 2024?

Utah football quarterback Cameron Rising will return under center for the Utes after having missed the entire 2023 campaign due to injury. Rising suffered a devastating knee injury in the 2022 Rose Bowl game and hasn't taken a snap since. As Rising enters his seventh season of collegiate football, should there be pressure on the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game MVP?

The Utes trotted out three different quarterbacks throughout the 2023 campaign. Quarterbacks Bryson Barnes, Nate Johnson, and Luke Bottari were all under center for the Utes. Utah football finished the regular season with an 8-5 record and relied mostly on its 13th nationally ranked defense, as it allowed opponents to score under 20 points per game, respectively.

Rising, who will be 25 years of age before the season, will have a lot to prove as the 2025 NFL Draft approaches after this season. The Utes pass-thrower is known to be an effective dual-threat quarterback and is a prominent threat on the ground and through the air. In 2022 ( his best season), Rising tossed for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns while having rushed for 6.0 yards per carry. Rising has rushed for a combined average of 6.3 yards per carry across two seasons at Utah football (2021-2022).

Unfortunately, Rising's injury history may heavily affect his draft status in 2025. Rising suffered a shoulder injury in 2020 that caused him to play in only one game that season. After having missed almost the entire 2020 campaign and the entire 2023 season, the pressure on Rising to produce at a high level for the Utes in 2024 is expected.

Utah football will head to the Big 12 conference in 2024 after having been a member of the Pac-12 since 2011. If Utah football is aiming to be a legitimate threat in its new conference, the Utes will need Rising to perform at his absolute best and stay healthy, of course.