Utah QB Devon Dampier makes his return to the Utes official

Dual-threat quarterback was the engine of the Utes' high-scoring offense in 2025

Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) will be a senior in 2026. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier announced Tuesday that he'll be back with the Utes for the 2026 season.

Dampier made his return to Salt Lake City official via social media Tuesday. Retaining the dual-threat quarterback who put up historic numbers in 2025 was a major offseason priority for Morgan Scalley and company.

Dampier made his announcement after Byrd Ficklin confirmed he'd be back with the Utes in 2026 as well. Ficklin stepped up while Dampier nursed an injury at various points in the regular season, recording 514 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground while going 21-of-35 through the air for 301 yards and three more touchdowns.

Dampier's future with the Utes became one of the biggest storylines going into the offseason.

With the mass exodus of former Utah assistants leaving Salt Lake City to follow Kyle Whittingham to Ann Arbor, Michigan, there was speculation over whether Dampier would enter the transfer portal to join the Wolverines at some point; especially considering Dampier's relationship with former Utes offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who left Utah to be with Whittingham in Michigan at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign.

The Michigan buzz surrounding Dampier quieted once Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class who started all 13 games under center for the Wolverines last season, announced his return to Michigan for his sophomore season.

Dampier's announcement Sunday shut down the rumors of his departure for good, paving the way for the Utes to hit the ground running in 2026 with the engine of their offense back to run the show.

Dampier concluded the season with 2,490 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to five interceptions while completing 63.5% of his pass attempts. He finished as Utah's second-leading rusher with 835 yards and 10 scores on 146 carries, becoming the first Utes quarterback to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 600 in a single season since Alex Smith accomplished the feat in 2004.

Dampier capped the season off with a historic performance during Utah's 44-22 victory over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl. He went 19-of-31 through the air for 310 yards with two touchdown passes and rushed for 148 yards and three scores on 19 carries against the Cornhuskers, earning him game MVP honors and tying former Utah quarterback Travis Wilson for the most rushing touchdowns by a Utah player in a bowl game. Dampier also surpassed Alex Smith's program record of total yards of offense (408) in a bowl game.

Dampier's 84.8 quarterback rating was tops in the Big 12 and ranked No. 7 in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Dampier's efforts also helped earn him the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award, third team all-conference recognition and a spot on the Associated Press all-bowl team. He was also added as a late finalist for the Manning Award, one of the top quarterback honors in college football.

Dampier spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at New Mexico. In 2024, he led the conference in total offense by piling up 3,934 yards, including 2,768 passing yards, the league's second-highest total, and 19 total touchdowns.