Starting Utah Quarterback Cam Rising’s Thoughts On Spring Ball

SALT LAKE CITY- Expectations are at an all time high for Utah’s starting quarterback Cam Rising and for good reason. After a slow start to the 2021 football season, Rising appeared to be the magic glue for the Utes bringing the players together as a team.

With Rising in at quarterback, Utah put together an 8-1 run in regular season Pac-12 play. They also drubbed Oregon twice in one season to earn their first Pac-12 Championship. Then in the Rose Bowl, Rising masterfully went toe-to-toe with the Ohio State helping to keep the Utes within a field goal.

So far this spring Rising looks poised for another big run with the Utes, and if at all possible he seems even more calm out on the field than before. No pressure.

Utah’s QB1 @crising7 says his calm demeanor stems from a love of competition and getting lots of practice going against his older brother @CoachRising58 as kids. #ThiccBoi7 proverbs. (Also note his answer is exactly 22 seconds.) #GoUtes #22Forever pic.twitter.com/tXFpCmDk8m

— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) April 20, 2022

“I grew up competing my whole life,” Rising said. “My brother was always bigger than me and I just was never worried about who was lining up against me. I just wanted to play and compete. I just love competition. All the nerves and things like that really fly out of the window once that game starts.”

Captain, Oh Captain

Aside from his play on the field, one of Rising’s best qualities is his ability to bring everyone on the team along. Earlier during spring ball head coach Kyle Whittingham noted one of the biggest tasks for the 2022 squad would be focusing on fundamentals. Naturally, Rising was making sure the team was on the same page.

“Just making sure the team is firing in the right direction,” Rising said. “We are rolling right now, so things are looking good.”

As experienced as Rising is, even he admits there are things that come up in the game that still surprise him. Spring ball is no exception.

“There is always something new,” Rising said. “You can think you know everything about football and you can think you’ve seen that play a million times, but for some reason there is always something that can change on you at any particular look. That’s what makes football so fun and keeps it organic- keeps you on your toes so you have to lock in on each and every play.”

With so much experience on his side, Rising says there are times where it is hard to not overthink something. The options may be limitless, but in football, time is often not.

“I surprise myself just because I start overthinking,” Rising said. “We can do this, this, and this, and that would be great. Or we could do this, this, and this, and it will all be good. That’s probably the only thing I do too much right now. I need to just tone it back and let coach Lud do his job up there.”

Second String

One of the more intriguing battles this spring for the Utes is who will end up being Rising’s backup. Right now, according to coach Whittingham both Bryson Barnes and Ja’Quinden Jackson are in a dead heat. Rising thinks both guys have been preparing and doing exactly what the team needs them to be doing to this point.

“They are working their tails off,” Rising said. “They are making sure they are prepared for any situation that could arise and they are doing a good job making sure that they are taking advantage of those reps. Not messing up and making the same mistake twice. I think that is one of the most important things for them.”

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