Now that the dead period is over, players in the NCAA transfer portal are now able to take official visits, with Texas Longhorns freshman quarterback Cameron Rising taking advantage of the opportunity with an official visit to see the Utah Utes, according to Horns247.
Head coach Tom Herman has spent the weeks since Rising entered his name into the portal to explore his options attempting to once again recruit the 6’2, 230-pounder, this time to remain in Austin for at least another season.
“We want them to stick around,” Herman said of Rising and fellow freshman quarterback Casey Thompson before the Sugar Bowl. “We don’t want to lose either one of them. And nowadays in college football, that’s their right, and that’s something the football oversight committee and transfer oversight committee thought was a necessary next step, and we respect that. We’ve been very communicative with both families and both young men, and they’re happy to be here and happy to be a part of their team. This is the way of the world now, and guys who want to explore their options have the right to do so. We also have the opportunity to communicate with them how important they are to our program.”
However, the rise of sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger has decreased the potential for early playing time for Rising, so it’s not particularly surprising that he’s taking an official visit to a school with a more open depth chart.
Utah starter Tyler Huntley will exhaust his eligibility following the 2019 season, which Rising would have to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules. The back up, freshman Jason Shelley, struggled at times as Huntley’s replacement due to injury in 2018, throwing six interceptions against five touchdowns and completing less than 60 percent of his passes.
As a former consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 11 pro-style quarterback nationally, Rising would presumably have an excellent shot of overtaking Shelley after a year in Kyle Whittingham’s system.