Devon Dampier Heisman Predictions: Exploring Utah QB’s chances for CFB’s most prestigious individual award

Devon Dampier is the quarterback for the Utah Utes and is coming into the 2025 season as the starter for the program. The Utes will want him to improve their quarterback fortunes, as Cam Rising (someone who was widely touted for success) struggled with injuries during his time with the program.

Dampier spent the last two seasons with the New Mexico Lobos, leading them to a 5-7 record in 2024. He threw for 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Many wouldn't consider this Heisman-worthy, as the award recognizes the best player in college football each year. However, a change of scenery could benefit Dampier, and he has a chance to lead the Utes to a strong season, similar to the expectations for Cam Rising.

Let's have a look at his current chances for the Heisman Trophy.

Devon Dampier 2025 Heisman Odds: Where he stands now

As of writing (May 31st), Devon Dampier is a long shot to win the Heisman Trophy.

The bookmakers, such as Bet MGM, give him odds of +10000 to become the next Heisman Trophy winner.

These odds are the same as Thomas Castellanos (the former Boston College, now Florida State Seminoles quarterback), Beau Pribula (the former backup quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions who is now with the Missouri Tigers) and Mikey Keene, who could be the backup quarterback at the Michigan Wolverines this year.

In terms of which players are in the running for the award, Texas' Arch Manning is the favorite, with Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar also in contention. These players are a long way ahead of Dampier.

Utah’s Heisman History: Can Devon Dampier join the list?

The Utah Utes, like many smaller programs on the West Coast, have historically struggled to produce the Heisman Trophy. No player from the school has ever claimed the award, nor has one from Dampier's former team, the New Mexico Lobos. However, one Utah player has been shortlisted for the honor.

Quarterback Alex Smit's successful run at Utah peaked in 2004, when he led the Utes to an undefeated 12-0 season. He went 21-1 during his time with the school. Utah became known as the "BCS Buster," a term for any smaller school that made it into the BCS bowl games (similar to a smaller school making the four-team College Football Playoff)

After his Heisman nomination, Smith became the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL draft and had a solid career. However, he would garner a lot of praise in 2020 when, two years after sustaining a severe and potentially career-ending injury, he returned to play for the Washington Commanders. There, he earned the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec