Lance Holtzclaw knows Devon Dampier well.

Very well.

The Utah defensive end attended Desert Ridge High School in Phoenix, Arizona, roughly a 20-minute drive from where the Ute quarterback played at Saguaro High in Scottsdale.

And the two played seven-on-seven ball together during the summers in Arizona.

He knew how special Dampier was even then. Now, he’s happy the rest of the country is starting to take notice — and he’s making the case for his longtime friend to be a Heisman Trophy finalist.

“I’ve been telling them that he should be in there,” Holtzclaw said of Dampier’s Heisman potential. “Dev’s my guy, man. I’ve been around Dev since I was 15 years old. He used to be my seven-on-seven quarterback.

“It’s a blessing to be able to play with somebody like that.”

Dampier has shot up in the Heisman race after his dynamic performance against BYU, in which he had a team-high 87 yards rushing, threw for 177 yards and hauled in a 29-yard reception for good measure.

The Utes have even made a social media push for the quarterback’s name to be mentioned in the race, using multiple posts with the hashtag #SPID4HEISMAN.

That Heisman campaign has his teammates’ full support, especially those playing on the defensive side of the ball.

After all, who knows better about how hard it is to stop Dampier?

“He’s been playing like a Heisman,” corner James “Bobo” Chenault Jr. said.

“It motivates me, actually. It keeps me going for a long time. To see him go out there and do what he does, it makes me want to go out there and give him back the ball.”

Only one player in Utah football history has ever been a Heisman finalist: quarterback Alex Smith.

Smith finished fourth in 2004 after leading the Utes to a BCS-busting undefeated season.

If Dampier can keep the Utes perfect, too, he may end up in New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

According to Kalshi’s prediction market, Dampier currently has the fifth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy. FanDuel, meanwhile, has him with the fourth-best odds.

A Heisman race that appeared to be all but sewn up a few weeks ago has opened up significantly. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is still seen as the favorite for the award, but an injury to QB Julian Sayin has limited Smith’s production. The Buckeyes have also lost two straight.

That could open the door for Miami QB Darian Mensah, Notre Dame QB CJ Carr, Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker and Dampier.

Dampier currently has 2,053 passing yards and 20 touchdowns to go with 482 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

One more important note: Dampier has more wins than any quarterback in the nation. If that remains the case at the end of the regular season, he might have to plan a trip to New York.

And if he were to win? He’d be the first winner in program history and the second from the state, joining BYU’s Ty Detmer, who won in 1990.