Cam Rising, Brant Kuithe didn’t play USC this year, but they might not be done at Utah
No. 14 Utah is midway through its 2023 season and is sitting at 6-1. However, starting quarterback Cameron Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe have yet to play in 2023. This naturally leads to the question: Could the Utes’ star players apply for a medical hardship?
Rising redshirted in the 2018 season while at Texas, then sat out 2019 after transferring to Utah. Under the old system, he would have been ineligible for a medical redshirt. However, those rules are gone.
The senior QB played just one game in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury. He played 13 games apiece in 2021 and ‘22, but suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in the 2023 Rose Bowl.
Kuithe, meanwhile, has never had a redshirt season, though he has been granted extra years of eligibility based on the number of games played.
He played in all 14 games in 2018, and did the same in 2019. Based on the 2020 season being limited to just five games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was granted another year of eligibility.
He then played all 14 games in 2021, but because he played fewer than five games in 2022 (he suffered a torn ACL in the fourth game of the season), yet another year of eligibility was granted.
According to Whittingham the Utes are still in wait and see mode with their star players.
“It’s just a situation where we are just waiting week after week for the thumbs up,” Whittingham said. “Here we are at the midpoint, so I don’t want to say the clock is ticking, but we’d love to have either or both of those guys back as soon as possible. Again, it’s just a waiting game. We’re waiting for the go-ahead.”
It would also be a matter of whether Rising or Kuithe wanted to return for another year. Rising would be 25 years old next season and Kuithe turns 24 in December.
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