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Will Cameron Rising play against Florida in 2023 season opener?

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•07/22/23•

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Pac 12 media days don’t have the same fanfare as SEC Meda Days but Florida Gators fans learned something if they tuned in. The Gators will kick off the 2023 campaign on the road against the two-time defending Pac-12 Champion Utah Utes. Will the Utes have their No. 1 quarterback in Cameron Rising?

Rising has led the Utes to two-consecutive conference championships but the senior quarterback suffered a torn ACL in the Utes’ 35-21 loss to Penn State in the Rose Bowl. The injury has kept Rising sidelined for spring camp and left a tight window for Rising to be 100 percent, or even available at all, for the season opener.

“Knee is doing great. I’m doing great,” Rising said on Friday at Pac 12 Media Day. “Excited to be out here. Been focused on my rehab. Everything is going the way it’s supposed to be. Just excited to see what the future holds.”

The future for the Utes begins with Florida. The Gators and Utes played a classic game last season in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Rising completed 68.8% of his passes (22-32), for one touchdown and one interception. He added 91 rushing yards on seven carries as well. Rising was good but not at his best against Florida. Now, just six months after knee surgery, can he possibly be his best if he’s available on August 31?

Kyle Whittingham comments on Cameron Rising and Brant Kuithe

Rising isn’t the only player that had a major injury last year. Tight end Brant Kuithe was even more effective against Florida last season. Kuithe hauled in nine passes — responsible for 41% of Rising’s completions — for more than 100 yards and a touchdown.

Kuithe played in just four games before a knee injury sidelined him for the season.

“Cam and Brant are right on track with their rehab. Brant is obviously a couple of months ahead. He had the surgery a few months prior to Cam. We fully expect Brant to be ready for the season. Cam is going to come right down to the wire,” Whittingham said on Friday. “Will he be ready for the opener? We’ll have to find out. We still got, what, a month and a half before that happens, I guess less than that, a month and a week.”

The biggest question surrounding Rising will be, first, availability. Can he play? That will be a question to follow all the way up to game week. The biggest question, which we probably can safely answer now, is what will he look like on August 31 if he’s available? It’s probably unfair to expect Rising to be at 100-percent. Can he extend plays with his legs and rush for nearly 100 yards just seven months after knee surgery? Probably not.

At the end of the day, the decision won’t be up to Whittingham or Rising, rather team doctors.

“If they clear him, then I have all the confidence in the world in Cam,” Whittingham told the Desert News. “But that’s not our call. That’s between Cam and the medical staff to determine when he is ready.”

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