'I Want to Be More Christlike': Devon Dampier Carries His Faith and an Unbeaten Utah Into Arizona

Devon Dampier has never been shy about who he plays for. The Utah quarterback calls himself a child of God in his Instagram biography, and this fall he has played like a young man at peace with himself, leading the unbeaten Utes to No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings and into the Heisman Trophy conversation, Sports Spectrum reported.

On Saturday night he takes that 9-0 record on the road to No. 23 Arizona, a 7:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff on FOX that could be the toughest test left on Utah's regular-season schedule.

Sports Spectrum, which profiled Dampier this week, reported that the senior describes himself plainly as a Christian who puts all of his faith in Christ. In an August interview with the Deseret News, cited by Sports Spectrum, he said his relationship with God means everything to him and that the biggest way his faith shows up in football is perspective. "I want to be more Christlike," he said.

That perspective has been tested. Dampier said he leaned on God through coaching changes and an injury, that he felt he took a tremendous step in his walk with God over the summer, and that he now wants to use his platform to start making an impact on people. He credits his parents, Kesha and Curtis, with laying the foundation that shapes both his life and his football, and his maternal grandfather, Anthony, is a pastor.

The coaching changes were real. Dampier arrived at Utah before the 2025 season from New Mexico, where as a sophomore he threw for 2,768 yards, ran for 1,116 more and accounted for 31 touchdowns. He brought offensive coordinator Jason Beck with him. In his first year in Salt Lake City he played through two sports hernias and an ankle injury, then was named MVP of the Las Vegas Bowl after a 44-22 win over Nebraska in which he threw for 310 yards and ran for three scores. Within hours of that win, Beck followed head coach Kyle Whittingham to Michigan. Dampier's mother told the Deseret News the departures hurt her son's feelings, but after weighing the transfer portal he chose to stay for his senior season under new head coach Morgan Scalley.

That decision has paid off for everyone in red. Dampier has thrown for 2,053 yards and 20 touchdowns this season and run for 482 yards and seven more scores.

His biggest night came last Saturday against BYU. Utah raced to a 14-0 lead in under five minutes, fell behind 20-14 at halftime, then shut out the Cougars after the break to win 28-20 and snap a three-game losing streak in the rivalry, the Associated Press reported. Dampier accounted for four touchdowns: two passes to Braden Pegan, including a 46-yarder, and two runs, the last a 5-yard score that put Utah ahead for good with 12:03 to play. He finished 14 of 26 for 177 yards with no interceptions and ran 20 times for 89 yards. He even caught a 29-yard pass.

The defense finished the job. Trey Reynolds picked off BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier at the Utah 2 with 4:39 left, and Nate Ritchie intercepted him in the end zone in the closing seconds, part of a four-interception day for the Utes. It was Scalley's first win over BYU as Utah's head coach, and he made clear the Utes are not finished. "This is not the final game of the season," he told reporters.

Arizona will not make the next one easy. The Wildcats come in at 7-2 after a 29-28 win over TCU, and quarterback Noah Fifita has thrown for 2,794 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing 73 percent of his passes, according to the AP preview. Arizona ranks seventh nationally in passing offense at nearly 323 yards per game, while Utah's pass defense ranks 102nd, and Isaiah Mizell leads the Wildcats with 753 receiving yards.

Utah counters with balance. The Utes average 37.7 points per game, 13th in the country, running back Wayshawn Parker has 762 yards and nine touchdowns, and Pegan has 591 receiving yards and eight scores. Utah has also been brutal early, outscoring opponents 103-9 in the first quarter, the best first-quarter margin in the FBS.

There is plenty of talk in college football these days about money, the portal and the price of a quarterback. Dampier's story is a reminder of something older. When the coaches who brought him to Utah left, he did not chase the next opportunity. He stayed with his teammates and leaned on his faith, and nine games later the Utes are unbeaten and he is a legitimate Heisman candidate.

A win on Saturday would keep Utah squarely on course for a playoff berth, with a trip to TCU waiting on Nov. 21. Whatever happens in the desert, Dampier has already shown his teammates and a lot of young fans what it looks like to play with perspective.