Football in Utah is happy to return. As spring practices commence, Kuithe rises.
A few plays later, Rising got into the pocket and found Brant Kuithe for a touchdown ball up the seam in the front of the end zone. Shortly after, Rising made a crucial block. Since the defense wasn’t wearing pads and wasn’t planning to tackle Rising, he sprinted for a 15-yard touchdown as his teammates erupted in celebration.
The first day of spring practice saw the return of the Bad Moon, looking as beautiful as ever in the fall. It’s also impossible to overestimate his return.
For a Utah team that is already favored to win the Big 12 in its inaugural season in a new conference, Rising’s arrival on the field on Tuesday was a welcome change of pace after the previous season’s passing attack was reduced to half and placed 120th out of 133 FBS teams.
Rising remarked in his first media appearances since September that “it’s pretty surreal.” It’s been a while, and I’m excited to be back with the fellas. It was truly an amazing day. It was terrific.
“It just felt like there’s just meat left on the bone right here that I want to go finish that, and just really make sure that we can go win a championship and go to the playoff,” he said. And I think we have a wonderful team around who can support me and simply make a lot of plays for me. That’s really my goal for this season. We’re in a wonderful position to do it, in my opinion.”
However, victories are not gained in the spring, particularly on practice’s first day. It was expected that rising would be a substantial upgrade under center. It was evident even beside the two bright future quarterbacks competing for the No. 2 spot, true freshman Isaac Wilson and Brandon Rose.
Even if the football played in August isn’t precisely the same as the game played in March, Rising’s on-field brilliance readily sets him apart, and his grasp of the offense is unsurpassed. To his teammates, he was, if anything, a soothing presence.
“I stood beside Cam in line. Running back, Micah Bernard stated, “I’m not worried about what I have to do, and I ain’t worried about what he has to do. “And I’m like, ‘Cam, what I got?’ if I forget. He will inform me, as there are moments when several thoughts cross both my and his minds. However, a quarterback is an expert at everything, therefore, it’s good to have an experienced player in the backfield with you to double check your technique.
He continued, “He looks great.” “His arm still appears strong. It’s strong, guys; it was good because the boy was throwing some 40-yard throws.”
In the spring, Rising will receive all of the No. 1 reps, with Rose, Wilson, and walk-on Luke Bottari sharing the No. 2 and No. 3 places, according to Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham’s statement on Tuesday. Rose received second-team representatives during the brief media appearance, and Wilson provided third-team representation to complete the group.
The best part of the day, though, was seeing veteran tight end Brant Kuithe and Rising back on the field. “His return to the field is greatly appreciated. Having Kuithe back out there is fantastic,” Whittingham remarked. “They both add tremendously in so many ways, not just with their play, but with their leadership, their work ethic, and it’s just great to have them back.”
Returning to the field was “a little rusty,” but Kuithe said it was “good to be back.” “I love being out here and just looking forward to getting better,” said Kuithe.
Highlights of the First Day,ย Though it’s hard to truly draw any conclusions from the first day of spring practicesโespecially because players aren’t allowed to use pads or tackles. Whittingham is already keeping an eye on a few individuals who stood out from the crowd.
Redshirt freshman running back Mike Mitchell and USC transfer wide receiver Dorian Singer are at the top of that list. No player was more excited about their first practice day than Mitchell, who repeatedly showed off his talent and potential at the press conference.
“We weren’t in pads today, but he did some really good things, and he’s a guy that we think has a bunch of upside,” Whittingham stated. Whittingham continued, saying that Singer is “probably the furthest ahead” of all the receivers and that he looked “really good.” Aside from that, Whittingham emphasized the impressive play of Georgia Tech cornerback transfers Kenan Johnson and Tao Johnson in his shift to safety.