Cam Rising's status for Florida-Utah game determined, per reports
Cam Rising is doubtful to play for No. 14 Utah on Thursday against Florida. ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared the news on “College Football Live” Wednesday.
Rising would be a significant absence for the Utes. Entering his fifth year, Rising started 13 games for the Utes last season, recording 3,034 yards on 249-of-385 passing (26 TD, 8 INT), while adding 77 rushes for 465 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was particularly effective as a dual-threat quarterback last year against the Gators, going 22-of-32 passing for 216 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception while rushing 7 times for 91 yards.
Without Rising, Utah will reportedly turn to Bryson Barnes as the starting quarterback. A walk-on in 2020, Barnes is entering his fourth season at Utah. He played in 10 games for the Utes last season, going 37-of-57 passing (4 TD, 2 INT) for 430 yards, adding 20 carries for 116 yards. Barnes made his first career start against Washington State last season, going 17-of-27 for 175 yards.
Redshirt freshman Nate Johnson is expected to be used as a change-of-pace QB for the Utes, per Thamel. In 2022, Johnson saw limited action in 4 games. A former 3-star recruit out of California, Johnson finished with a 16-yard TD completion and 5 carries for 51 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Earlier Wednesday, the Utah Checkdwon podcast also reported that Barnes was the expected starter. Thursday’s game is set for 8 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN.
There will be a new Utah Checkdown podcast coming this afternoon from me and @JFurKSL.
No. 1 topic of discussion: The expectation at this point is that Bryson Barnes, sources confirm, will start the opener vs. Florida.
There is plenty of context to clarify, so come through
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) August 30, 2023
Consistent with what we’ve been hearing https://t.co/k6gYGxUNFs
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) August 30, 2023