Brant Kuithe is still waiting to make his 2023 season debut. The wait has been frustrating, he admitted Tuesday during an interview on The Bill Riley Show on ESPN 700.

Kuithe said on ESPN 700 that he expected to be ready for fall camp. But he wasn’t. He was a limited participant throughout training camp and hasn’t been able to get on the field yet through two games. Dealing with questions about his status has been tough, he said.

He sounded very plainly like a player who is willing, but the body isn’t ready.

“Some take longer than others,” Kuithe said of his recovery.

He is not sitting out to save himself for the NFL, and he’s not sitting out to wait to play with quarterback Cameron Rising. He mentioned his brother going through two knee injuries that ultimately forced him to retire. He said he’s seen players come back from injury too early.

“If I’m cleared and ready to play, I am going to play,” he said. “When I play, I want to play at the level that I was (at before the injury).”

Asked last week for an update on Kuithe, coach Kyle Whittingham said there was nothing.

Kuithe left Utah’s Sept. 24 game against Arizona State last season in the first half with a knee injury. At the time he went down, he was the team’s leader in receptions. The year prior, he was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection after catching 50 passes for 611 yards and six scores.

He’s a versatile offensive weapon, and someone who can help open up the pass game more than it has been to begin the season. Utah understandably wants him back, but it won’t rush him.

“Yes, soon,” Kuithe said when asked about a return. “I’m not gonna give you a date. … It’s not like I have a date set and I’m gonna feel good by this date. I don’t think anybody’s body is like that. Whenever I feel ready to play, we’ll know that by gametime. We’ll see.”