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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
Utah quarterback Cam Rising will be out “indefinitely,” and true freshman Isaac Wilson will start in his place, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham announced Monday.
Rising returned to the field Friday against Arizona State after sitting out the previous three games because of a hand injury, but he sustained a lower-leg injury early in the contest. He remained in the game but was visibly hampered and completed only 16 of 37 passes with three interceptions and no touchdowns in a 27-19 loss.
Whittingham usually does not provide injury updates unless they are season-ending in nature but began his news conference by addressing Rising’s status.
“Isaac Wilson will be our starter until further notice — that way we don’t have to address that each time we talk,” Whittingham said. “I can’t give you a timeline. It could be the rest of the season. I’m not sure how exactly long it will be, but I know it’s going to be a minute.”
Rising’s injury is the latest in a string setbacks that have plagued him throughout his career. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury early in the first game of the 2020 season; exited the Rose Bowl game because of a concussion to end the 2021 season; and suffered a serious knee injury in the Rose Bowl the following season that caused him to sit out all of 2023.
Rising, 25, began his career at Texas, where he redshirted in 2018, and sat out the 2019 season after transferring to Utah. Whittingham hinted at the possibility Rising could have another season of eligibility, but it’s unclear if that will happen.
“Now that we’re in the situation that we’re in, that’s a possibility,” Whittingham said. “We’ll have to explore that in detail with the compliance department. And I’m not even sure Cam would be interested in going that route. He’s got a lot to think about, and so [he needs] to just take a step back right now and let them get this most recent injury thoroughly diagnosed. … That would be something we’re talking about sooner rather than later.”
Wilson, the brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson, was a four-star prospect and the No. 13-ranked pocket passer in the Class of 2024. He has completed 68 of 122 passes for 830 yards, with six touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.
The Utes (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) won two of Wilson’s three starts.