Utah finally has a quarterback.
With everyone jumping in the transfer portal, Utah received some great news today as New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier is following his offense coordinator, Jason Beck, to Salt Lake City.
Sophomore quarterback Dampier played a key role in driving the Lobos’ high-powered offense, which averaged 484.2 yards per game, ranking fourth nationally, and 33.5 points per game, good for 27th in the country. Dampier was efficient, and showed his durability as he ran the ball 155 times and rushed for more than 1,000 yards.
Under Beck’s spread offense, New Mexico’s rushing attack was one of the best in the nation, ranking fifth with 253.6 yards per game. Dampier led the charge, rushing for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns, while running back Eli Sanders contributed with 1,063 yards and nine scores. In his first year as a full-time starter, the 5-foot-10, 198-pound Dampier was one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football, accounting for nearly 4,000 yards of total offense.
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Against Power Four competition this season — Arizona, Auburn and Washington State — Dampier threw for 725 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He added 354 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as well, showcasing his skills against top competition.
New Mexico’s offense was the reason why the Lobos finished the year with a 5-6 record, their best mark since 2016, despite a defense that allowed 38 points and 492.1 yards per game, and Beck and Dampier will try and replicate that production at Utah. Dampier is a true dual-threat quarterback and is at his best when he’s running the ball. He possesses top-end speed, can make defenders miss (he forced 51 missed tackles this season, according to Pro Football Focus), and is explosive when the ball is in his hands. While there were a lot of designed quarterback runs called by Beck for Dampier, he’s also adept at both reading the defense and knowing when to run the ball on the RPO and at scrambling when there’s no receivers open.
Utah has never had a 1,000-yard rusher at the quarterback position. While other quarterbacks at Utah have shown the ability to run the ball in the past, Dampier does it at a level that hasn’t been seen at the university since Alex Smith ran Urban Meyer’s spread offense in 2004.
Dampier is currently the only Utah QB on the roster with Isaac Wilson, Sam Huard and Brandon Rose jumping in the transfer portal. We also don’t know if Cam Rising will come back either. The good news… Utah at least has a quarterback now.
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