Utah QB Devon Dampier reacts to hearing his name being included in Heisman Trophy talks

Devon Dampier is starting to get a little bit of Heisman Trophy buzz after his early performance this season. The Utah quarterback is currently tied for the fifth-best odds at +1500 according to BetMGM.

That is a massive increase from the +5000 odds that Dampier opened the season at. The QB joined FanDuel Sports Network this week to discuss his play so far as well as what it means to him to hear his name listed for the most prestigious award in all of college football.

“That’s awesome,” he said. “Just being a kid, that’s something you always dream of, especially playing quarterback. It does mean a lot. It just makes me look back on the decision I made coming here and for the whole team to be bought in. Those guys, they come up to me and they tell me, ‘Dev, your name’s up there.’ Just for the whole offense to kind of be able to share that moment, it means a lot.”

Dampier transferred to Utah from New Mexico this offseason and took over the starting quarterback job following a 5-7 finish for the Utes in 2024. He threw for 2,768 yards and rushing for more than 1,000 more while scoring 31 total touchdowns for the Lobos and had high expectations entering this year.

So far, he’s lived up to it by leading the Utes to a pair of dominant wins in their first two games. Dampier has flashed the same dual-threat ability that made him so dangerous in New Mexico, throwing for 398 yards, rushing for 112 and scoring six total touchdowns in Utah’s first two games of this season.

His arrival looks like it has the Utes back on track to be a contender for the Big 12 Championship in their second season as a member of the conference. Their early wins, especially a 43-10 thrashing of former Pac-12 rival UCLA in Week 1, have inspired confidence that will be the case.

Based on Devon Dampier’s Heisman Trophy odds, it seems like the rest of the country is also starting to realize just how big this season could potentially be for the quarterback. His next opportunity will come Saturday against Wyoming before the Utes open up Big 12 play against Texas Tech on Sept. 20. Expect a lot of eyes on that matchup, which will feature two of the conference’s top teams in the preseason rankings.