10 most important college football players returning to school over entering draft

Top 10 college football players returning to school over entering draft

No. 5: Cameron Rising, Utah QB

Utah doesn’t need to dream of Pac-12 titles. They’ve won the last two with Cameron Rising at the helm. And he’s coming back with an eye on making it three in a row.

Rising is a winner, plain and simple. He’s also got the type of arm talent mixed with effective mobility to get on NFL radars. He might never be a first-round QB but he’s the type of football player sure to make some team fall in love with him. Leaving for the NFL wouldn’t have been a mistake.

Utes fans already have fallen in love with him and they got a belated Christmas gift when Rising announced he’d be coming back for another season. The goal is obvious: Win the Pac-12 again, but this time punch a ticket to the College Football Playoff while doing it.

While talk of USC, Oregon and Washington as Pac-12 title and playoff contenders may dominate the offseason, Rising’s return keeps Utah as the king of the hill until someone else proves otherwise. Kyle Whittingham and company have been too consistently strong to expect them to take a step back. Losing the QB might have changed the equation. Instead they’re ready to go again.