New Utah quarterback Devon Dampier: ‘They’re going to see a lot of excitement out of me’

Devon Dampier has been an instant hit in Salt Lake City and he’s still almost four months away from taking his first real snap with the Utah Utes.

Dampier had been on campus for just a few weeks after transferring from New Mexico when his new teammates voted him to the leadership council.

“I would assume that at some point he’ll be a captain,” coach Kyle Whittingham said.

Dampier has been the big focus during spring drills, which will culminate with the annual 22 Forever Game on Saturday, April 19, at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The dual-threat junior quarterback followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck from Albuquerque and, as the projected starter, will be looked upon to begin an offensive revival after two down seasons.

Dampier has an easy smile and wants fans to know he’s got more going on than just throwing and running the ball.

“I think Utah fans need to know that I’m very happy, I’m very pumped up all the time,” Dampier said. “They’re going to see a lot of excitement out of me. Exciting things are coming on and off the field.”

That alone is a pretty good start as the Utes move on from the Cam Rising Era and look to rebound from a difficult first season in the Big 12. They finished 5-7 overall — including a brutal seven-game losing streak — and just 2-7 in conference. They sat out bowl season for the first time since 2013 — a big setback for a program that was just a season removed from playing in a second-straight Rose Bowl.

Dampier is already comfortable in Beck’s offense after his big season at New Mexico last fall. While he’s helping his new teammates get comfortable in Beck’s scheme, he’s also getting to know them off the field.

Fans have probably seen him about town at various restaurants, usually with a group of teammates.

“I feel like my favorite thing outside of football is probably eating food,” he said. “I’m finding new places like at least every two days. I try to adventure out. I play the game a lot; that’s something that relaxes my mind a little bit and allows me to disconnect from the world, in a way.”

Dampier knows that sometimes the quickest way to bond with teammates is through their stomachs.

He said his favorite place is Penny Ann’s Cafe in South Salt Lake, where he treats teammates to Sunday brunch. He also likes bonding with his football bros at Buffalo Wild Wings.

On the field, he’ll do whatever it takes.

Devon Dampier (4) avoids a tackle from Auburn Tigers linebacker Demarcus Riddick (16). | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I feel like the biggest part is definitely showing it first,” he said. “In our workouts, I’m always giving 100%. I talk to everyone on the team: special teams, offense and defense. It doesn’t matter what position they are. I want to get close to all my teammates, so they can see that I care and they feel like they can trust me.”

His teammates are impressed by what they’ve seen so far.

“Devon’s a dog,” right tackle Spencer Fano said, using an athletic term of endearment. “He could do anything he wants to on the field. That dude can run 100 yards or he could throw it 100 yards, so he’s special.”

Said Whittingham: “He is the leader of the offense as far as knowing what to do and making sure everyone else knows what they’re doing.”

New Mexico’s 5-7 record last year, including 3-4 in the Mountain West, certainly wasn’t a reflection of Dampier’s play. He became the first Lobos quarterback to earn All-MWC first-team honors and was the first to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing.

He led the MWC with 3,934 yards total offense. He threw for 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions, and rushed for 1,166 yards and 19 scores.

The Lobos were fourth in the FBS at 484.2 yards per game.

“Devon is a true, every sense of the word, dual-threat quarterback,” Whittingham said. He’s a terrific runner, he’s a very good thrower.”

While wanting Dampier to improve his completion percentage of 57.9, Whittingham is impressed the QB was sacked only four times last year.

“He’s very mobile in the pocket,” Whittingham said. “He has great pocket awareness, and to me that’s a remarkable stat to only have four sacks. And so we think that he’s obviously the perfect fit for this offense. He is an improvement from last year, and so we’re excited.”

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