Devon Dampier is in elite company, statistically speaking.
Last year at New Mexico, he was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He’s one of five players since 2016 to record at least 2,500 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.
The others? Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels.
Three of those four won the Heisman Trophy before becoming NFL stars.
“I would always tell everyone, that’s a personal goal of mine — to win the Heisman, or just to even be in one of those four seats in New York," Dampier told The Salt Lake Tribune during Big 12 Media Days. “That’s always been a dream of mine.”
He is a massive underdog to achieve that goal.
Las Vegas likes LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (+800) and Texas’ Arch Manning (+900) as Heisman favorites. Dampier’s odds are listed at +8000, heading into his first season as the University of Utah’s starting quarterback.
But the Utes’ new leader likes the challenge.
Dampier has a long list of goals he is chasing in 2025. Winning the Big 12 with head coach Kyle Whittingham and Utah is among his top priorities. He also wants to take the Utes to the 12-team College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.
But first, he must be the engineer of Utah’s offensive turnaround alongside new Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
Dampier and Beck, meanwhile, orchestrated the No. 4 offense in the country with the Lobos in the Mountain West Conference. Dampier amassed 2,768 passing yards, 1,166 yards rushing and 31 total touchdowns.
Utah’s offense ranked second-to-last in the Big 12 a season ago, just ahead of Houston.
When the Utes won the Pac-12 in 2021 and 2022, their offense ranked second and fifth in the conference, respectively.
“I’ve learned from last year’s Utah team, that’s not them,” Dampier said. “We made it very clear that’s not the normal. We’re going to make sure that’s not the normal at all.
“That puts a chip on my shoulder. I want to be part of a program where we get back right where we’ve been.”
Dampier is currently laying the groundwork for a successful turnaround by earning the trust of his teammates, Whittingham and even the Utah fan base.
“My leadership style is big on letting me demonstrate it first. I hate to be the guy to come in, just start talking and tell people what to do,” Dampier said at Big 12 Media Days. “That’s not me. I love to earn the respect of my teammates first, and then you go on from there and up.”
Whittingham said Dampier established himself as one of Utah’s prime leaders in the spring. In a “landslide” the New Mexico transfer was voted to the Ute leadership council, a group of Utah players that provides input to the coaching staff and helps create unity on Utah’s roster.
“He’s got the respect of his peers,” Whittingham said. “He’s got that it factor that you look for in quarterbacks. He’s got the field-general mentality that you look for. He’s a guy that everybody gravitates towards. There’s no doubt who’s in charge of the offense.”
Then from there it’s all about returning the Utes back to winning football.
“When everyone’s eating and everyone’s on the same page, everyone’s individual goals will come by themselves,” Dampier said. “From a team aspect, let’s get that Big 12 championship.”
Dampier’s individual goal remains a lofty one.
No Ute has ever won college football’s top individual honor. Former quarterback Alex Smith came close in 2004, when he led the Utes to an undefeated record and finished fourth in the Heisman voting.
Even when former star quarterback Cam Rising was at his best — leading Utah to two Pac-12 championships — he was never a finalist for the Heisman.
Dampier is banking on trust and relationships with his teammates — and wins on the football field — to put himself in the Heisman conversation.
“It does take a team,” he said. “No one has ever individually just won an award like that, so I make sure to take care of my teammates first.”