USC Legend Matt Leinart names dark horse Heisman candidate for 2025

Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) runs the ball against UCLA Bruins defensive back Croix Stewart (22) during the first half at Rose Bowl. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Heisman Trophy frontrunners Arch Manning and Cade Klubnik faltered in their season openers Saturday, leading their offenses to a combined 17 points as both Texas and Clemson lost contests to Top 10 teams. Manning and Klubnik are seeing their odds of being named college football's top player at season's end drop, and voters may start looking for others who did not get as much publicity in the preseason.

Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart, who won the award in 2004, has identified a candidate who could start seeing more Heisman talk following Saturday's late West Coast games.

Dark horse Heisman candidate 💯 https://t.co/xbVGSsYfmB

— Matt Leinart (@MattLeinartQB) August 31, 2025

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Dampier, who transferred from New Mexico in the off-season, led Utah to a convincing 43-10 win on Saturday night over UCLA. The dynamic dual-threat quarterback completed 84% of his passes for 206 yards against the Bruins and rushed another 87 yards while accounting for three total touchdowns.

Leinart's comparison to Murray could have been because of Dampier's sub-six-foot stature. Leinart was listed at 6-foot-5 when he won the award, but since then, Troy Smith, Johnny Manziel, Murray and Caleb Young have all won a Heisman playing the position while being listed at or below six feet.

Although Dampier was not one of the most talked about Heisman Trophy names in the pre-season, there was recognition from the sportsbooks and bettors regarding his potential for the award. When Saturday kicked off, Dampier was listed at odds of +6000 for the Heisman.

That was actually higher than Nebraska second-year starter Dylan Raiola (+6500), but behind names like Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson, who were all at +5000 before Saturday.

Devon Dampier played his first two collegiate seasons for the New Mexico Lobos. | John Reed-Imagn Images

Utah next plays Cal Poly and Wyoming before kicking off its Big 12 schedule against Texas Tech on Sept. 20. There are not many marquee games on the early part of the schedule that will help Dampier's exposure, but the Utes will host defending Big 12 Champion and College Football Playoff qualifier Arizona State at home on Oct. 11.

If Dampier plays well over the next month, that game could further ignite the Heisman conversation with a big performance from the junior quarterback.