No. 12 Utah banking on improved health of offensive playmakers to fulfill expectations in Big 12

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Cam Rising was all smiles when Utah opened training camp ahead of its inaugural Big 12 Conference season.

Rising soaked in the thrill of being on the field again after not playing a down last season because of a knee injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl two days into 2023. Now, with his knee at full strength, there were no limitations on what the 25-year-old, seventh-year senior quarterback could or wanted to do.

"I definitely feel 100 percent," Rising said. "It feels good to be back out there and know that I'm playing this time."

Injuries to Rising and other key contributors cost the Utes a shot at a third consecutive Pac-12 title in their final season in the league. Now, with many of those players returning, No. 12 Utah enters the Big 12 as the preseason pick to win the conference. The Utes are also the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.

Keeping its offensive playmakers healthy will be critical as Utah seeks to fulfill its championship aspirations.

In addition to Rising, tight end Brant Kuithe and running back Micah Bernard return from injuries that kept them out of action last season. Kuithe hasn't played in nearly two years while recovering from a knee injury he sustained against Arizona State in October 2022. Bernard missed 11 games a year ago after suffering an eye injury.

"(I) learned a lot mentally and just got back physically," Kuithe said. "The best part was just regaining the love of football again. Just getting a new appreciation of being out here and playing football."

Rising enters his final season having passed for at least 200 yards 15 times in 27 career games, including two 300-yard games and one 400-yard performance.

Kuithe has been one of Rising’s favorite targets. A three-time All-Pac-12 selection, Kuithe leads active FBS tight ends in receptions (148), receiving yards (1,882) and receiving touchdowns (16).

Bernard is the feature back in a backfield that also includes Jaylon Glover and Mike Mitchell. He had 1,706 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns for the Utes in 2021 and 2022. Glover tallied 562 yards as the No. 2 back last season while Mitchell redshirted.

Utah has also worked to shore up its depth at other skill positions to avoid a repeat of a season ago, when the Utes sputtered offensively under the weight of so many injuries. They were 98th nationally, scoring 23.2 points per game, a drop from the year before when the Utes were 11th at a 38.6 average.

Transfers Dorian Singer from Southern California and Damien Alford from Syracuse have bolstered the receiving corps. Singer had 66 catches for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns for Arizona in 2022, but his numbers with the Trojans dropped considerably (24 catches, 289 yards, three touchdowns). Alford had 610 yards on 33 catches for Syracuse last season.

The Utes also have plenty of options at tight end, with Landen King and Baylor transfer Caleb Lohner both expected to get meaningful reps behind Kuithe. King led Utah's tight ends in receiving yards (166) and touchdowns (three) in 2023.

"It's looking very good right now," Rising said. "We've got some weapons all around. Just got to spread the ball out and let everybody play."

Having healthy veterans on offense will serve Utah well with 40 freshmen and transfers joining the program. It isn't unprecedented to witness significant roster turnover in the era of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness compensation for players, but it does add a few wrinkles in building chemistry and integrating newcomers into existing team culture.

"We do have almost a third of the team that's brand new," coach Kyle Whittingham said. "It's a big group of new guys that need to learn how we do things here."

If Utah figures it out, a third conference title in four seasons is a realistic possibility.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football