### Utah Utes Turn to Freshman Isaac Wilson as Cam Rising Sidelined Indefinitely

In a significant shift for the Utah Utes, true freshman Isaac Wilson will be stepping in as the starting quarterback, following the indefinite sidelining of Cam Rising. Utes coach Kyle Whittingham announced the development on Monday, noting that Rising sustained a lower-leg injury during Friday's game against Arizona State. Despite his evident struggle, Rising played through the injury, completing only 16 of 37 passes, throwing three interceptions, and notching zero touchdowns in the 27-19 defeat.

Whittingham, typically reticent about injury updates unless they are season-ending, opened his news conference by addressing Rising's condition directly. "Isaac Wilson will be our starter until further notice -- that way we don't have to address that each time we talk," Whittingham stated. He added, "I can't give you a timeline. It could be the rest of the season. I'm not sure how exactly long it will be, but I know it's going to be a minute."

Rising's career has been marred with injuries. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the first game of the 2020 season, a concussion in the 2021 Rose Bowl, and a significant knee injury in the 2022 Rose Bowl which led to him sitting out all of 2023. Rising, 25, initially started his career at Texas before transferring to Utah, where he sat out the 2019 season due to transfer rules.

Whittingham hinted at the possibility of Rising having another season of eligibility but indicated that much is yet to be decided. "Now that we're in the situation that we're in, that's a possibility," Whittingham mentioned. "We'll have to explore that in detail with the compliance department. And I'm not even sure Cam would be interested in going that route. He's got a lot to think about, and so [he needs] to just take a step back right now and let them get this most recent injury thoroughly diagnosed.... That would be something we're talking about sooner rather than later."

Wilson, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson, was a highly touted recruit, ranked as the No. 13 pocket passer in the Class of 2024. This season, he has completed 68 of 122 passes for 830 yards, with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Utes, currently holding a 4-2 record and 1-2 in the Big 12, managed to win two of the three games Wilson has started.

The team hopes that Wilson can fill the void left by Rising and lead them to more victories this season.