Utah is 3-0 and ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll for the second week in a row after defeating rival Utah State 38-21 in the Aggies' home stadium. Missing from the matchup was the Utes' usual starting quarterback Cameron Rising, who suffered a hand injury in the team's Week 2 matchup against Baylor.
Though backup quarterback Isaac Wilson, younger brother of Denver Broncos and former BYU slinger Zach Wilson, had a stellar performance against the Aggies, Rising is reportedly likely to return in Week 4 to face No. 14 Oklahoma State.
Rising's name might be familiar to NCAA football fans, but not just because it's his fourth year starting for the Utes. The quarterback is in his seventh collegiate season, making him one of the oldest players in the country.
Here's everything to know about Rising's age as well as explaining the Utah QB's college football eligibility as he continues what will likely be his final campaign.
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How old is Cameron Rising?
Rising is 25 years old. He was born on May 13, 1999.
A three-star recruit in the high school class of 2018, Rising committed to the University of Texas in April 2017 after flipping from Oklahoma. The quarterback had been set on becoming a Sooner since August 2016 but ultimately chose to become a Longhorn after visiting for the team's spring game the next year.
While Rising is one of the oldest players suiting up in the 2024 college football season, he is not the oldest. Virginia kicker Matt Ganyard holds the title in his second season as a walk-on for the Cavaliers at 35 years old.
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Cameron Rising's college football eligibility, explained
The NCAA initially gives players five years to play four seasons. However, if a player is granted a medical redshirt, another year is added to that total. In addition, athletes on teams affected by the COVID-19 pandemic were given the ability to extend their eligibility to six years for all four seasons.
Rising redshirted his freshman season at Texas in 2018 before transferring to Utah and doing the same the next year. In 2020, after the Utes' first seven games of the season were either cancelled or postponed due to COVID, Rising made his debut in the team's first contest against No. 21 USC. However, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on one of his first drives.
The quarterback did not redshirt the remainder of that season but returned the following summer to compete with Charlie Brewer for the starting job. Though Brewer ended up earning the spot under center, he was benched after three games and Rising took over. The Utes had a phenomenal season in 2021 that ended in a Pac-12 Championship upset over No. 10 Oregon and a Rose Bowl appearance.
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Utah entered the 2022 season ranked No. 7 in the AP Preseason Poll, and Rising repeated the magic of the previous year. The team finished with a 10-4 record and won the Pac-12 for the second year in a row, this time upsetting No. 4 USC in the Championship Game, of which Rising was named MVP.
Unfortunately, though the Utes reached the Rose Bowl again, Rising left the contest in the third quarter with a major knee injury that would keep him out the entire 2023 season. Already in his sixth year, he used his medical redshirt to give himself a seventh campaign.
In November 2023, Rising posted on social media that he would be taking his final season of eligibility with Utah and remain in Salt Lake City through 2024.
| Season | School | Games played |
| 2018 | Texas | 0 (Redshirt) |
| 2019 | Utah | 0 (Redshirt) |
| 2020 | Utah | 1 |
| 2021 | Utah | 13 |
| 2022 | Utah | 13 |
| 2023 | Utah | 0 (Redshirt) |
| 2024 | Utah | 2 (as of 9/18) |
