Cam Rising for Heisman? Is that realistic?

cam Rising you know Josh uh mentioned him um his return to the field went about as well as it possibly could have I would think uh Utah quarterback threw for five touchdowns in that a win over Southern Utah so rising's roundabout Journey has been well documented uh zagu even wrote a story about it this summer um started way back in Austin in 2018 for the longhorn uh didn't start but that's where his college career started uh has had three different seasons where he has not played at all one of those was that year when he red shirted but uh yeah just crazy including last year so uh Josh I wanted to get your take on this as a guy who covered the youths um how beloved is rising there in Salt Lake and um and could he rise to the ranks of a Heisman Contender maybe Heisman finalist Heisman winner what do y'all think yeah that's a that's an interesting question um first off I'll start with kind of what he's he's like here in Utah uh he's he's absolutely beloved by the fans uh I think uh he he took Utah to a level obviously that they've never been to before in terms of you know getting to the Rose Bowl uh Utah had been to New Year's six games before but getting to the Rose Bowl where they had opportunities you you know win the Pack 12 uh and so there there's always going to be that love but there's something about cam where he has this sort of swagger where he is your best friend while also being the ultra competitor at the same time and and I think that exudes kind of Beyond just the the field right I think the fans understand it I think they understand who he is he comes out with a lot of confidence and um just he he is kind of your best friend right like I think he's one of those guys that early on when we talked about him as being the new starter you know we would talk to the the players and they just say he's he honestly is your best friend even if you don't know him because like you'll walk past him in the hallways and he'll always just want to you know ask how you're doing and doing different things like that that gets a lot of people to buy in on defense as well right like you've got a lot of people that want to fight for cam rising and so there's a lot of stuff that that goes on Beyond just what happens on the field now cam as a quarterback you know in that Heisman talk there there is potential right I don't want to I don't want to undercut guy before it even happens but there there's Utah was never really designed up until maybe this year to be a pass heavy team and obviously those Heisman quarterbacks have to have a lot of passing yards they have to show a lot maybe with how Utah's designed this year where they want to work more on the outside where they want to utilize you know one of their six tight ends that they've got in the past game uh this is this is an area where yes there there absolutely could be a situation where he could rise to the occasion um but I I I just don't know if he is that type of quarterback or if that's what Utah's looking for right I think you know he's never going to be the guy that's out there like a Jackson Dart who's throwing six touchdowns in halftime yeah he got five but that's just not their game plan and if it happens so be it um I I think honestly a good Benchmark for for cam is if he could throw over 3500 yards that would be a great system for for Utah they don't have a lot I did the math and I think there's only two two quarterbacks in Utah's history that have ever thrown for over 35 yards which sounds crazy but that's just how they've been right they've always been a run first establish the run first and then you know develop whatever passing game you have this year they are trying to get more of that passing game so if there is ever a year that that could be the case yes Cam could be in that conversation he's got the skills set to do it he's not the flashiest he's probably not going to be a top NFL quarterback in terms of projections but uh you know I think you know they love what they've got with him and I think it's all the intangibles on and off the field that make him a competitor that that fans love you know and when I think of Utah I think of kind of a a program that's obviously been so consistent for so many years but I think that kind of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts is that the right phrase you know it's it's you know it's such a such a culture such a you know Utah is Utah they're going to go and they're going to play good football and they're going to be a team and they're going to you know it's everything do everything kind of the right way to get the end result there's not one player where the they're putting the team on his back you know it might be cam rising and throwing five touchdowns it might be Berke keithy getting you know how many ever touchdown catches it might be even Caleb loner catching a cut touchdown pass you know so I don't think that well cam Rising has probably the best odds on Utah to win the Heisman I don't think Utah is you know if he gets hurt you know Utah is still probably a favorite you know to to to challenge in the Big 12 and I think that says more about Utah as a program than than cam Rising as a Heisman Contender as someone go ahead go ahead I I think the I I agree with all that you said I think the one little thing though is that you saw how Utah was last year without Cam rising and I think maybe that gives him a little bit more of a nod to to be in that right I I agree that Utah is that that culture they are the family they work together everybody is is in unison I would say that cam maybe elevates Beyond what Utah has traditionally been just because of that and I think you got that example last year they still went 8 and four so I mean it wasn't a bad system um but I think if if Utah wants to be at that upper echelon team cam is that guy right and so I think you know as much as I kind of you know pulled him down a little bit and kind of said where he's at I think there there is still kind of that next level guy that that he does transcend it maybe more than many have over the years yeah good points all around um so as someone who has covered uh Texas high school football for like 30 years now holy crap uh I would say Kyle Whittingham like just feels like an old school Texas high school football coach to me in terms of run the ball play good defense you know that's like every old school and that's not just Texas but uh but yeah I know a million coaches like that and so I get it in terms of like the scheme maybe that doesn't necessarily play well into into Cam's hopes for a Heisman here's what does if Utah is sitting there at you know 12 you know 12- one after the big 12 championship game 13-0 maybe I mean uh within the realm of possibility I would say um he is absolutely going to get some consideration I think just because quarterback for you know a team like that an undefeated or you know conference Champion team I mean two years ago uh my vote went to Max Dugen as a Heisman voter so you know I think winning does matter I mean stats matter but winning matters too so that will play well for cam so we'll see we'll see how it all plays out