Cam Rising announced his medical retirement from college football on Wednesday.
The former Utah star quarterback led the Utes to two Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022, but missed the majority of the last two seasons due to multiple injuries.
Rising suffered a hand injury against Baylor early in the 2024 season, after he was shoved into the Gatorade coolers by a Bears’ defender. He returned in October for Utah’s matchup against Arizona State but suffered a season-ending leg injury in the matchup, which would ultimately be the last contest he’d play as a Ute.
It was the hand injury he suffered against Baylor, however, that led Rising to retire from college football altogether, he said.
“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 on X. “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.”
After transferring from Texas to Utah, Rising became the Utes’ starting quarterback in 2021 during the third game of the season. From there, the quarterback took Utah to new heights, including two conference championships and the school’s only two Rose Bowl appearances.
He’ll finish his career as one of the greatest Utah quarterbacks of all-time, tallying 6,127 passing yards and 53 touchdowns and rushing for 986 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
“My why has always been my family,” Rising said. “I have always thought of my teammates as my brothers and always will. Thank you guys for always pushing me to improve and just making this game enjoyable. Thank you to the coaches for guiding me in the right direction to become a better man and football player. Coach [Andy] Ludwig, thank you for turning me into a football nerd and showing me the correct way to respect the game.
“Lastly, thank you to all the fans and everyone that supported me throughout my career. You all made the moments special.”
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