Utah vs. Oklahoma State QB ages: How Cam Rising, Alan Bowman compare to NFL quarterback matchups
Saturday’s showdown between Utah and Oklahoma State could have massive implications at the top of the Big 12, and experience won’t be hard to find.Â
Utah QB Cam Rising and Oklahoma State QB Alan Bowman are two of the oldest players in college football, bringing a combined 49 years of life and 14 seasons of college football to the field in Stillwater.
Bowman is only in his second season at Oklahoma State, but Rising is a Utah veteran. He’s started two Rose Bowls for the Utes, leaving the second with a serious injury, and he’s been at Utah since 2019. A win over the Cowboys could put Rising in much better position to potentially finish his career in the College Football Playoff.
Here’s what you need to know about Rising and Bowman’s ages, including a look at how their ages compare to some NFL quarterback matchups.
MORE: How Zach Wilson’s brother filled in for Cam Rising at Utah
How old is Cam Rising?Rising turned 25 in May. This is his seventh season of college football and sixth at Utah. The California-born QB started at Texas.
Why has he been eligible for so long? Rising had to sit out a year after transferring to Utah under previous NCAA rules, and he also earned the extra COVID-19 year of eligibility. Rising missed the entire 2023 season due to injury, earning him another year.Â
Rising actually has the chance to return for an eighth season of college football due to a ruling that renders the NCAA unable to enforce previous transfer rules, but he told Action Network’s Brett McMurphy in July that “seven years is more than enough.”Â
Rising was born in 1999, which is jarring to hear for a collegiate athlete in 2024.Â
How old is Alan Bowman?Bowman is 10 months younger than Rising, so he’s “only” 24. However, he’s also in his seventh year of college football.
Bowman spent his first three seasons at Texas Tech before transferring to Michigan and spending two seasons on the Wolverines’ bench. He transferred to Oklahoma State ahead of the 2023 season and returned for 2024.
NCAA rules never made Bowman sit out after transferring, but he redshirted two seasons and earned the additional COVID-19 year of eligibility. That means he’s done after 2024 whether he likes it or not, but playing college football in 2024 after arriving on a college campus in 2018 is a remarkable feat.
Bowman joked about his longevity before the season, posting a picture with a backpack and captioning it, “Happy 1st Day of 19th Grade !!”Â
Happy 1st Day of 19th Grade !! #education pic.twitter.com/4D8ylIxxlQ
— Alan Bowman (@alanbowman_) August 19, 2024Bowman led the FBS in pass attempts in 2023, so coach Mike Gundy clearly trusts his quarterback’s experience after all these years.Â
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Utah, Oklahoma State QB ages vs. NFL matchupsRising and Bowman are a combined 49. That’s not only much higher than all other FBS quarterback matchups this weekend, but it also rivals some Week 3 quarterback matchups in the NFL.
Caleb Williams and Anthony Richardson, facing off on Sunday in Indianapolis, are a combined 44. C.J. Stroud and Sam Darnold match Rising and Bowman at a combined 49.
Will Levis and either Jordan Love or Malik Willis just barely beat Rising and Bowman at a combined age of 50, as do Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels. Even Justin Herbert and Justin Fields, with a combined nine years of NFL experience, only have a combined age of 51.
Fun fact: The combined age of the starting QBs in Saturday’s Utah-Oklahoma State game is 49.
By comparison, the combined age of the starting QBs in Sunday’s Colts-Bears game is 44. pic.twitter.com/cO7hLZh9Rx
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) September 16, 2024Rising and Bowman might be a bit of an anomaly, even in the era of the COVID-19 year of eligibility, but credit goes to the two quarterbacks for taking full advantage of the best days of their lives. Now, there’s a reach chance one will win the Big 12 and reach the College Football Playoff in December.
