When Cam Rising first put on his pads and helmet and returned to practice this fall, a reporter asked the Utes’ big man on campus a question.
“Is it different talking to freshmen and sophomores right now given how old you are and the experiences you’ve had?” the reporter asked. “Some of these guys were in the sixth and seventh grade when you first started.”
The 25-year-old Rising blew it off like the wind whipping through his hair.
“Not really,” the seventh-year senior said. “(I’m) still a college kid.”
A few days later, Nicko Rising, Cam’s father, saw a video of the interaction floating on social media.
“I could tell that he took a little bit of an exception to it,” Nicko Rising told The Salt Lake Tribune.
“I don’t think he likes it, but it is what it is, and he’s a realist. It’s the circumstance he’s in. He’s going to embrace it and go do what he’s got to do. I think people take exception to it and point it out, and he’s the kind of guy that says ‘Hey, man, I’m just here doing what I do. I’m within the rules.’”
But while Rising can still connect with the U.’s underclassmen, he should certainly be able to understand his opponent this weekend.
On Saturday, Rising will take on another seventh-year quarterback: Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman.
The two players are believed to be the oldest starting quarterbacks in college football this season. And the pair have been subjected to their share of jokes about their age. But Rising has the Utes at No. 12 in the nation. The 24-year-old Bowman has his Cowboys ranked No. 14. And both have their sights set on the College Football Playoff.
“I think in the early part of his career what other people said bothered him,” Kirk Bowman, Alan’s father, told The Tribune. “If he even reads it now, he just brushes it off and laughs.
“Somebody said to me, ‘He’s been in college football for seven years, so why didn’t he just get a job?’ It’s like if he got a job he’s going to take a pay cut. With the NIL money these kids are making now, why would you not maximize every single year you can get?”
Those realities are true and both quarterbacks — in likely their final season of college football — now have their eyes on the College Football Playoff and a bid at the Big 12 Championship.
But despite the injury struggles, transfers and internet memes, each quarterback has learned something.
Lessons that they’ll carry on for the rest of their lives.
“I just think it’s where we are today,” Kirk Bowman said. “Alan and Cam have perseverance and experience on their side. They persevered, they rehabbed, they did what they needed to do. And, they gained respect from their teammates and coaches. And I think it’s going to be fun to watch the two of them go against each other.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) on the sidelines as Utah State hosts the University of Utah during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Logan, Utah.
‘It’s a beautiful thing’
In the same evening that Rising and Bowman will be squaring off in Boone Pickens Stadium, Casey Thompson will be strolling the sidelines of Gaylord Family Oklahoma — Memorial Stadium in Norman.
Thompson, like Bowman and his former Longhorns teammate Rising, is a seventh-year quarterback. He first started at Texas, transferred to Nebraska, landed at FAU and later joined the Sooners for his final hurrah.
His final season is unlike Bowman and Rising’s, however. He’s the third-string quarterback behind freshman Michael Hawkins and sophomore Jackson Arnold. After a slew of season-ending injuries, including his most recent at Florida Atlantic — a torn ACL — he’s found peace returning to his home state but also playing for the team he grew up loving.
“It’s been a blessing to be able to just have this many opportunities and to play the game all these years,” Thompson said. “To be around so many great you know, teams and coaches and players is awesome.
“It can be made negative by the public or the critics who have something to say, but the hardest thing I’ve had to go through is the adversity and the injuries.”
He serves as an example of what can be achieved off the field through seven years of college football.
Thompson has reconnected with his family and church in Moore, Oklahoma. At each of his stops, he’s learned grit, toughness and perseverance.
He also earned a sports management bachelor’s degree from Texas, a master’s degree in applied science from Nebraska and is now pursuing a master’s in organizational leadership in Norman.
Thompson said was “best friends” with Rising as freshmen redshirting with the Longhorns.
In the years since, Rising has dealt with injuries and transfers and waivers from the NCAA. He missed all of last season due ACL, MCL, MPFL and meniscus tears he suffered in the the 2023 Rose Bowl.
But to this day Thompson remembers Rising’s laugh and kind smile. More importantly, he said, Thompson remembers Rising’s work ethic, which is why he knows the U. quarterback has made the most out of his time on the field.
“Seven years obviously only happens with some type of medical waiver or hardship,” Thompson said. “I would say that we both experienced not only one hardship here, but multiple, if not every year, and we just had the strength to overcome it.”
Rising’s father can certainly attest to that. This past offseason, his rehab was one of the hardest in his career. Rising traveled back and forth to Santa Monica to rehab his knee after undergoing surgery.
He lumbered around on crutches in his house in Ventura, Calif., struggling to sit and wait for his knee to heal. Last season, Rising tried his hardest to come back but never received a clean bill of health from his doctors.
Now, he’s healthy and leading the Utes to a potential conference title and a Playoff bid.
His father hopes he’s enjoying the ride.
“Listen, dude, if I could be in college for seven years, please give me the opportunity,” Nicko said. “There’s no better time in your life than being in college. Come on, are you kidding me?
“With NIL you can play the game you love and compete at the highest level, what’s wrong with that? There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s a blessing, but somehow it’s frowned upon because he’s a seventh-year player.”
Bowman has also made the most of his time as a seventh-year senior.
According to his father, Bowman earned a bachelor’s degree at Texas Tech and later a master’s in supply chain management at Michigan. Since moving to Stillwater, he’s bought a house with his fiancee. He’s also earning his second master’s degree at OSU and plans to earn his real estate license.
That doesn’t mean he didn’t struggle, however. Bowman had difficulties with his mental health due to transferring, dealing with coaching changes and injuries. He’d often go for long drives and call his high school offensive coordinator Richard Bishop.
Now, he’s helped create a mental health awareness campaign while earning the starting gig as Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback.
“I never bet against him,” Bishop said. “He’s always come out on the right side of adversity. He’s always battled through those things, and he’s always persevered.”
If Bowman’s career ends and he doesn’t have a future in the NFL, his father knows the tools he’s picked up — both on and off the field — will lead to a fruitful life after football.
“If the football thing doesn’t work out he’s winning the game of life,” Kirk said. “I always tell him that. As a parent it makes me proud and satisfied because football is not his only life.”
So maybe, despite all the internet jokes, being a seventh-year quarterback isn’t that bad after all.
“If we just went to college for three or four years and got a degree then it wouldn’t matter,” Thompson said. “When you play football, you want to maximize your opportunities and have full, complete seasons.”
Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman applauds before the team's NCAA college football game against Kansas State on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
‘They didn’t quit’
Keith Smith shot his former quarterback, a text a week ago to check in on his hand injury
Two weeks ago, Smith watched in horror from his house as Rising grimaced in pain after being launched into Baylor’s sideline coolers and hurting a finger on his throwing hand.
Luckily for the Utes, Rising’s injury doesn’t appear to be long-term. He indicated to Smith that he was working his way back before the Utah State contest.
The plan, for now, appears for Rising to be under center in Stillwater, but Keith describes the moment two weeks ago as a “wake-up call.”
“He means so much to the university in terms of money and all that,” said Smith, who has coached Rising on some level since the eighth grade. “He needs to understand what’s being done around him. He needs to not play so recklessly, and it’s hard to do because he’s trying to compete and win and play how he plays.”
The reality for Rising and Bowman is that this is, most likely, their final season of college football.
If Rising gets injured, his college career could be over. That’s not a risk Utah can take.
“I don’t know if he is handling it well because he’s continuing to put himself in situations that he can avoid, in my opinion,” Smith said.
“It goes through him. It’s not going to help the program if he’s not in there. Cam’s got to know better. He’s been playing college football for seven years. I mean, he’s almost like an NFL vet, you know? He’s older than some NFL quarterback for crying out loud. He’s got to find a way to show and give me something of him being smart.”
Like Rising, Bowman also feels the pressure of making the most out of his final season. The OSU quarterback struggled with turnovers in 2023, throwing 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
He’s cleaned that up in 2024 so far, logging eight passing touchdowns and two interceptions. But, like the Utes quarterback, he knows Oklahoma State’s CFP chances largely run through him on offense.
Bowman earned that opportunity in a three-quarterback race last season.
“He ended up having a pretty good season even though a lot of the wins were one-score games in the fourth quarter,” Kirk Bowman said. “At the end of the day, I think he thought that he was the best quarterback.”
Bowman and Rising’s careers meet head on Saturday. The pair of seventh-year seniors will lead their teams in what is the most pivotal game of each team’s season.
There’s pressure on them both to stay healthy and make the most plays.
And whoever secures the victory will be in the best position to win the Big 12.
But, even then, the pair of quarterback’s journeys could be described as something more.
And, for those closest to them, that’s what makes it so special.
“These guys have found a way through adversity and through grit,” Smith said. “That shows something. They didn’t quit.”
