Utah football welcomes back Rising, Kuithe as spring practices begin

SALT LAKE CITY — With the flick of a wrist, Cam Rising lofted the ball to the front corner of the end zone — about 20-25 yards out — and wide receiver Mycah Pittman went up and pulled down the ball for an easy touchdown Tuesday afternoon.

A few plays later, Rising stepped up in the pocket and connected on a pass up the seam at the front of the end zone to Brant Kuithe for another touchdown. And a few minutes after that, Rising got a key block — the defense wasn't in pads and wasn't going to tackle Rising anyway — and scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown as his teammates excitedly cheered.

The Bad Moon was back and looking in fall season form on the first day of spring practice.

His return can't be overstated, either.

After last season's passing offense grounded to a half — and ranked 120th out of 133 FBS teams — Rising's presence on the field Tuesday was a breath of fresh air for a Utah team that's already been picked as a presumptive favorite to come out of the Big 12 in its first season in a new conference.

"(It's) pretty surreal," Rising said in his first media interviews since September. "Just been a long time coming and just fired up to be back with the guys. It was great — just a phenomenal day.

"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 added. "And that's really my goal this season, and I think we've got a great team around that can help me and just make a lot of plays for me. So I think we're in a great position to do that."

But championships aren't won in spring, especially on the first day of practice.

Rising, though, was a noticeable upgrade under center, which was expected. It was clear even next to promising upcoming quarterbacks — sophomore Brandon Rose and true freshman Issac Wilson — who are vying for the No. 2 job.

Rising's command of the offense is unmatched, and his on-field talent easily sets him apart — even if the football played in March isn't exactly the same played in August. If anything, though, he was a calming presence to his teammates.

"I lined up next to Cam. I'm not worried about what I gotta do, I ain't worried about what he got to do," running back Micah Bernard said. "And if I forget, I'm like 'Cam, what I got?' He's going to let me know ... because sometimes a lot of things going on in my head and in his head. But quarterback knows everything, so it's cool to have a vet in the backfield with you just to make sure you know what you're doing.

"He looks great," he added. "His arm still looks powerful — it's powerful boys; that boy was chucking up some 40-yard passes, so it was good."

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said Tuesday that Rising will take all the No. 1 reps in spring, with Rose, Wilson and walk-on Luke Bottari splitting reps for the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. In the limited media availability, Rose got the second-team reps, while Wilson rounded out the group with third-team reps.

But having Rising back on the field — as well as veteran tight end Brant Kuithe — was the highlight of the day.

"It's great to have him back out there. It's great to have Kuithe back out there," Whittingham said. "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."

Kuithe said getting back on the field was "a little rusty," but that it was "good to be back."

"I love being out here and just looking forward to getting better," Kuithe said.

Standouts from Day 1

It's difficult to really glean anything of significance from the first day of spring practices, especially with players limited in what they can do — no pads, no tackling — but Whittingham already has his eye on a select few players that made a first impression.

At top of that list is redshirt freshman running back Mike Mitchell and USC transfer wide receiver Dorian Singer. Both players showed out and had a first day of practices — none more than Mitchell, who showcased his talent and upside multiple times during the media session.

"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 said.

Whittingham added that Singer looked "really good" and is "probably the furthest ahead" of any of the receivers.

Outside of that, Whittingham specifically mentioned Tao Johnson showing out in his move to safety, as well as Georgia Tech cornerback transfer Kenan Johnson.

Related topics