Utah quarterback Cam Rising announced Wednesday he is medically retiring from football due to a hand injury sustained during the 2024 season.
Rising said he received advice from two orthopedic physicians that the injury would prevent him from returning to play. He plans to seek a third medical opinion and undergo recommended surgery, though he stated he is forced to retire for now.
"Due to a hand injury I suffered during the Baylor game, I’ve been advised by two orthopedic physicians that I will never be able to return to playing football,” Rising said in a statement. “I’ll be obtaining a third medical opinion and will undergo the recommended surgery. I will continue to rehab and do all I can to get healthy. In the meantime, I will unfortunately be forced to medically retire from the game I love.”
Rising suffered the hand injury after being pushed out of bounds near the Baylor sideline in a September 2024 game. He did not return to that contest. He later returned in October for a game against Arizona State, but suffered a leg injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. He was limited to just three games in 2024.
His college career was marked by injuries. Rising redshirted his freshman season at Texas in 2018 before transferring to Utah, where he redshirted again in 2019 due to NCAA transfer rules. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the 2020 season opener. In 2022, he sustained a devastating knee injury in the Rose Bowl that caused him to miss the entire 2023 season.
Rising had options to return for the 2025 season, including potential medical redshirt eligibility or utilizing a change to NCAA transfer rules that no longer count the 2019 season redshirt year against eligibility. However, he has not pursued those options, was not on the current Utah roster, and went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Before the injuries limited his play, Rising led Utah to consecutive Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022. He threw for over 6,000 yards and rushed for nearly 1,000, accounting for 65 total touchdowns in 30 appearances and compiling a 20-7 record as a starter.
His absence impacted the Utes. The team went 8-5 in 2023 while he recovered from the knee injury, and posted a 5-7 record in 2024 after he sustained the hand and leg injuries early in the year, finishing with their first losing record since 2013.
With Rising no longer part of the program, Utah has added new quarterbacks and seen offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig resign. Rising is believed to be recovering from his recent injuries.
