After last season’s frustrating 5–7 skid, Kyle Whittingham is staring down year 21 in Salt Lake City with something that’s been missing lately—optimism. The longtime Utah Utes coach, who’s seen it all since taking over for Urban Meyer back in 2005, has assembled a roster that looks, on paper, capable of redemption. At least this is what Brett McMurphy thinks. The Utes return every starter up front on the offensive line, feature one of the most consistent defenses in the Big 12, and have a wild card under center in Devon Dampier, the transfer QB1 from New Mexico who’s stirring serious buzz.
The boldest statement yet. College football insider McMurphy believes Utah isn’t just going to bounce back. They’re going to win the Big 12 and punch a ticket to the CFP. Let that sink in. DJ & PK from KSL Sports laid out their own T&Cs: “They have a legitimate chance to get in November and have that opportunity if they keep their quarterback healthy this year, which obviously hasn’t happened the last two years.” The bar isn’t absurdly high, either. “It’s not like the offense is going to have to be great… If Dampier is healthy, absolutely it will be. There’s no doubt in my mind.” And as they noted, the key isn’t going undefeated—it’s just getting to Arlington and winning one game.
So, why Devon Dampier? For starters, the numbers don’t lie. Last year at New Mexico, he threw for 2,768 yards and 12 TDs, and added 1,166 yards and 19 scores on the ground. He’s electric when he tucks it and runs, and he brings that dual-threat chaos that’s so hard to scheme against in college football. The raw talent is there. What’s not perfect—yet—is his accuracy (57.9% completion rate) and ball security (12 interceptions in 2024). But Utah’s betting that those issues can be cleaned up in a more stable system with better protection. And it helps when your line includes potential NFL picks Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu holding down the edges.
Kyle Whittingham’s praise of Dampier hasn’t been subtle. “In Devon we’re getting a terrific athlete… He’s dynamic and he is a great leader,” the coach said. “The leadership that he has demonstrated since he’s been here has been incredible and the players have really rallied around him and he has become the leader of the team in just the short period of time that he’s been here.” That kind of locker-room gravity is what Utah lacked when Cam Rising couldn’t stay on the field. Dampier brings new life—and importantly, belief—to a program that struggled to find footing last year.
That belief extends to the sideline. OC Jason Beck, who followed Devon Dampier from New Mexico, has Kyle Whittingham convinced this group can cook. “The one real bright spot on the football team was Devon Dampier. And we now have him in our program. We’re elated about that,” Whittingham said. “Jason is an innovative football coach… not trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, but taking the player’s strengths and what they can do and finding roles for those guys.” Utah’s 2024 offense at New Mexico averaged 484.2 yards per game—if even a chunk of that translates, this team’s ceiling rises quickly.
The path isn’t without potholes. While McMurphy has Utah pegged for the Playoff, other insiders like Phil Steele see Arizona State as the team to beat. That’s fine by Kyle Whittingham, who’s made a career out of sneaking up on bigger names.
Kyle Whittingham keeps it real after Steele’s tumble
Phil Steele’s 2025 outlook for the Utes wasn’t exactly ringing with optimism—slotting Kyle Whittingham’s squad at a modest 6th in the Big 12. And after last fall’s freefall, it’s hard to argue. Despite climbing as high as No. 10 in the AP poll early in 2024, Utah missed a bowl for just the third time in Whittingham’s entire tenure (excluding the bizarre 2020 COVID year). Now, with Cam Rising officially retired and a new dual-threat in Devon Dampier at the controls, the Utes are aiming to flip the narrative.
Asked if ASU’s surprise run from preseason bottom-feeders to Big 12 champs caught him off guard, Whittingham didn’t flinch. “I don’t think anything really caught us by surprise in that respect or caught us off guard,” he said. The longtime head coach didn’t sugarcoat it—the Sun Devils just had dudes. “Arizona State. They ended up having a quarterback that just was terrific. And then the running back, obviously Cam Skattebo was a terrific player.”
Utah knows this firsthand. They battled ASU to the wire in Tempe, only to suffer another body blow—losing Rising, again. “We went down there and battled ’em all the way down to the wire at their place and unfortunately lost Cam Rising again in that game,” Whittingham said.
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