CBS Sports Ranks Cam Rising Among Top 100 Players of 2024
As spring football sessions around the country slow down, we are reminded that the start of the 2024 college football season is closer than it seems.
In the little over three months since the Michigan Wolverines hoisted their National Championship trophy, hundreds of players have switched programs by way of the transfer portal. Meanwhile, some of last season’s brightest stars are gone, preparing to be selected in the NFL Draft. Moreover, the sport's landscape has been remarkably altered by the coaching carousel and the departures of legends like Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh. It’s amazing how much can change in such a relatively short time.
Regardless, excitement is palpable for the upcoming season and fans around the country are eager to see their favorite team return to the gridiron come August.
As the offseason remains in full swing with the second transfer portal window opening on April 16th, analysts around the country are beginning to make their bold predictions for 2024. One of those analysts, CBS Sports’ former All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick Blake Brockermeyer, made his opinions known, with a list of the 'top 100 college football players for the 2024 season'.
Only one Ute made an appearance on Brockermeyer’s list, cracking the top 50. You might be able to guess who it was.
Brockermeyer ranked Cam Rising as his No. 49 player in the country for 2024. The Utah Utes fan favorite was the eighth highest-ranked quarterback on the list, falling short of several former Pac-12 signal-callers such as Shedeur Sanders, Cameron Ward, and Noah Fifita.
“Rising is entering his 10th 7th season of college football. After taking 2023 off to rehab his knee, I hope you didn't forget about Rising, who will be 25-years-old when the season starts,” wrote Brockermeyer. “The Utes might be my preseason pick to win the Big 12 and make the playoff and that's thanks to Rising's winning pedigree and playmaking ability. Rising excels on the intermediate routes and places the ball with precision both in the pocket and on the move. He's a wizard with his feet.”
Brockermeyer’s comments are right on the money, as Rising looked the part of one of the nation’s premiere starting quarterbacks in the Utes' spring game.
The bonafide ‘Utah Man’ showed out, delivering a performance reminiscent of the ones he produced during the 2022 and 2021 seasons. Escaping the pocket, throwing beautiful deep balls to receivers like Money Parks, and connecting with Brant Kuithe for the first time in nearly two years, Rising’s spring game return to Rice-Eccles was a pleasing sight to the eyes.
With perhaps the most talented supporting cast he’s had at Utah, Rising should only rise in the rankings as the offseason progresses. His connection with USC transfer Dorian Singer looks like something special, and the surrounding talent of Parks, Kuithe, Mycah Pittman, Taeshaun Lyons, and Landen King should lend to a potentially record-breaking offensive output in 2024.
