Utah quarterback Cameron Reesing announced in a video posted to his social media accounts Sunday that he will use a medical redshirt to return to Ute for the 2024 season. Here’s what you need to know:
He led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and ’22, but suffered a concussion in the Rose Bowl against Penn State on Jan. 1 and missed the entire 2023 season. After weeks of public uncertainty this fall, he revealed that he suffered torn ACL, MCL, meniscus and MPFL ligaments that help stabilize the kneecap in the Rose Bowl in October. Utah will play its first season in the Big 12 in 2024, along with former Pac-12 foes Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State.
One more year pic.twitter.com/LnFU1t5JCd
— Cameron Rising (@crising7) November 19, 2023
The return of the Rising raises the prospect of Utah 2024
With the announcement that the new-look Big 12 Rising is returning for a seventh season of college football, it may be favored as early as 2024. The former Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year has not returned from a serious knee injury that sidelined him this fall. There have been questions about whether Rising, who turns 25 next May, will choose to test the NFL Draft waters. Instead, he will use a medical redshirt and make one return in Salt Lake City.
The Utes now have the opener heading into their first season in a new conference. With Reesing’s dual-threat presence in the backfield this fall, the Utes were unable to complete their quest for a triple-peat conference title in the Pac-12’s final year. To say that Utah’s offense has been sorely missed would be putting it mildly. Entering the final week of the season, Utah ranked 83rd in the nation in total offense and 107th in passing offense (just 183.8 yards per game). In the year In 2022, Utah finished 11th in the nation in total offense.
Utah’s most pressing offseason question will be answered before the season begins. With a clean bill of health, the Rising immediately vaults the Utes as preseason Big 12 favorites. – Chris Camrani
What is left to prove Rising?
Getting hurt is never a good thing. But the silver lining for Rising here is that this year’s NFL Draft-eligible quarterback class is so deep that even if he were to return the stretch anyway this year, it would be hard for him to get past the healthy (and very talented) competition around him. This decision will give him a chance to be fully healthy when he returns to the field. Rising had a very effective 2022 through the air but we should have seen more accurate ball from him this season. We’ll see more of that in 2024 with further development as a mid-to-late round prospect. – Nick Baumgardner
(Photo: Chris Gardner / Getty Images)
