Cam Rising has shined as Utah’s starting quarterback the past two seasons, helping lead the program to back-to-back Pac-12 titles. A big piece to that play has been Andy Ludwig who has served as Kyle Whittingham’s offensive coordinator since 2019.

Ludwig’s immediate future with the program became unclear this offseason when he was spotted with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during the Irish’s search for a new OC. In the end, Ludwig turned down that opportunity to remain with the Utes.

Rising was asked about his relationship with Ludwig at Pac-12 Media Day. He went on to explain the importance of Ludwig’s presence and how hard the OC works throughout the process to get Utah in a position to succeed.

“Yeah, Coach Ludwig means everything. He spends so many hours throughout the week to make sure that our game plan is as good as it can possibly be,” said Rising. “Because he does that, that’s why we go out there and have so much confidence and trust the process because he spent the time to make sure that every little part of that game plan is where we want it to be.”

As for Ludwig’s prospects as a head coach, Rising said he knows one day Ludwig will “be a great head coach for sure.” In the meantime, the duo will try to put together another dynamic performance in 2023.