No. 14 Utah is currently halfway through its 2023 season with a record of 6-1. However, the team’s starting quarterback Cameron Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe have not played this season. This raises the question: Can these star players apply for a medical hardship?
Rising redshirted in the 2018 season while playing for Texas, and then sat out the 2019 season after transferring to Utah. Under the old system, he would not have been eligible for a medical redshirt. However, the rules have changed.
The senior QB only played one game in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury. He played 13 games in both 2021 and 2022, but in the 2023 Rose Bowl, he tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus.
Kuithe, on the other hand, has never had a redshirt season but has been granted extra years of eligibility due to the number of games played.
In 2018, he played in all 14 games, and he did the same in 2019. Because the 2020 season was limited to just five games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was granted another year of eligibility.
In 2021, he played all 14 games, but in 2022, he played fewer than five games and suffered a torn ACL in the fourth game of the season, resulting in another year of eligibility being granted.
According to Whittingham, the Utes are still waiting to see if their star players will return.
“We’re just waiting week after week for the thumbs up,” said Whittingham. “We’re at the midpoint now, so I don’t want to say the clock is ticking, but we would love to have either or both of those guys back as soon as possible. It’s a waiting game, and we’re waiting for the go-ahead.”
Ultimately, the decision to return for another year would be up to Rising and Kuithe. Rising would be 25 years old next season, and Kuithe will turn 24 in December.
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