Florida Asked If Cam Rising Was Willing To Transfer, Per Gators Reporter
Aug 29, 2023, 5:27 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – According to an AP reporter, Florida tested the waters on Utah quarterback Cam Rising to see if he would be interested in transferring.
Mark this down as another wild tale in the ever-changing college football landscape that features temptations such as the transfer portal and NIL.
Mark Long joined Unrivaled on KSL Sports Zone to share the details of what has been a chaotic offseason for the Gators in trying to wrangle a quarterback for the 2023 football season.
Florida Gators “Kicked The Tires” On Utah Football’s Cam Rising
First, redshirt freshman quarterback Jalen Kitna was dismissed from the team in December after an arrest related to child pornography charges. According to an article written on March 9, 2023, on an NPR affiliate by Troy Myers, the case is likely months away from being resolved after Kitna’s lawyer waived his right to a speedy trial.
Florida then ran into trouble trying to sign 2023 quarterback prospect Jaden Rashada after an NIL deal didn’t come through. Rashada was released from his letter of intent with the Gators and now resides in Pac-12 country with ASU.
The Gators finally turned to whoever they felt like they could get according to Long who listed a few quarterbacks including Rising that Florida tried to woo before landing on Graham Mertz.
.@APMarkLong joined @kslunrivaled and said that Florida "kicked the tires on Cam Rising. They at least made an inquiry to see if he is looking to transfer." pic.twitter.com/AtU221WCbE
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 29, 2023
“They ended up losing three quarterbacks in the span of a month between Richardson going pro, Kitna being arrested, and Rashada’s NIL deal falling through,” Long said. “So, they lost three potential starting quarterbacks and now they have to scramble. They want Hartman who ends up at Notre Dame. They wanted Sam Hartman. He was at the top of their list along with some other schools. They at least kicked the tires on Cam Rising if I’m hearing it correctly and then they wanted the Pratt kid out of Tulane.”
“They kicked the tires on a bunch of guys hoping they could get a transfer quarterback to come and bail them out,” Long continued. “They ended up landing Mertz.”
Long then went into a little more detail about the situation noting there was at least one phone call he was made aware of that the Gators made to find out if Rising was at all interested in transferring.
“From what I understand, they at least made a phone call to gauge interest in whether or not Cam Rising- a guy they watched in the Swamp,” Long said. “A dynamic player. 91 yards rushing in Gainesville in that opener. Should have won the game by all accounts. Anybody who is not wearing orange and blue glasses can tell you that Utah should have won that game. From what I understand they at least made an inquiry into if he was looking to transfer.”
Cam Rising’s Senior Year With Utah
Rising has been the starter for Utah since three games into the 2021 football season and has taken the team to new heights winning back-to-back Pac-12 Titles and making two Rose Bowl appearances. Many believe Utah is well positioned to win a third conference title provided the dynamic signal caller stays healthy.
In the past two seasons Rising has gone 456 of 711 passing with 14 interceptions and 46 touchdowns. Rising has thrown for 5,572 yards and is currently tied for fifth all-time at Utah in starting quarterback wins, sitting at 18-6.
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Rising has also been affective on the ground rushing 152 for 953 yards and 12 additional touchdowns.
Utah’s QB1 has so far had 15 career games with 200+ passing yards that includes two 300-yard games and one 400-yard-game. Rising is also one of six returning quarterbacks in the Pac-12 who threw for over 3,000 yards last season.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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