Former Saguaro High School Quarterback Devon Dampier Aims To Lead Utah To Rebound Season

By Logan Brown

Saguaro High School’s football team hoisted the 2021 Open Division state championship trophy on then-Sun Devil Stadium’s grass.

The player under center for the 20-15 victory over Chandler didn’t take a snap for the Sabercats until the sixth game of the season.

Now, he’s leading a Big 12 contender with some national buzz as the Utah Utes open training camp this week.

Devon Dampier, who led the Sabercats for two seasons after transferring from Pinnacle High School, is helping install a new offense in Salt Lake City. After two years at New Mexico, Dampier transferred to Utah to follow his offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who took a job in the same role with the Utes.

Arizona high school football fans will remember Dampier as the recipient of the 2022 Ed Doherty Award, given to the state’s top high school football player, which has previously been awarded to 49ers quarterback and Perry High School alum Brock Purdy.

Dampier took the reins of Saguaro’s offense in Scottsdale before the first round of the playoffs in 2021 and sprinted to a championship win. He commandeered the Sabercats for the entirety of the 2022 season and led them back to the state title game, where they fell 28-21 to Basha.

“Playing at Saguaro meant the world to me,” Dampier said at Big 12 Media Days. “I happen to be one of the kids who got to watch (former Arizona Cardinal and current Houston Texans wide receiver) Christian Kirk play a lot of ball, and he was a huge inspiration. To be able to attend the same school and have a similar impact, to win a state championship, it meant a lot.”

Frank Ruben, a Saguaro assistant coach entering his 23rd season with the program, isn’t surprised by Dampier’s continued success.

“He is the consummate team player, on and off the field,” Ruben said. “The energy that he brought, and I mean Devon as the young man that came to school, not just his abilities as a quarterback. He was one of those kids who was so dynamic and engaging with not just his teammates, but everybody on campus.”

Dampier threw 23 touchdown passes and just six interceptions in his senior season at Saguaro while rushing for 1,206 yards and another 10 scores. At New Mexico, he held the backup role for the Lobos as a freshman before earning the starting job in 2024. Dampier led the Mountain West Conference with 3,934 yards of total offense and 32 touchdowns. Despite completing just 57.9% of his passes and tossing 12 interceptions, Dampier did enough to earn Beck’s trust as they made the trek to Utah together.

Through one spring with the Utes, Dampier had a similar impact on his new teammates.

“He was like a coach on the field for us in spring ball,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said at Big 12 Media Days. “Tremendous leader. He was voted to the leadership council after having only been on campus for two weeks. That’s how much his teammates thought of him after being around him for two weeks.”

That trust and respect is a two-way street for the Phoenix native.

“I do feel like another coach out there,” Dampier said. “Everyone’s trying to learn it, and I love teaching the new offense to guys who haven’t learned it yet. We get to learn from scratch the way that I personally like to do things, and I think that allows the comfort level between both of us to just excel. I’m proud to be a coach out there. And I let them critique me too. If they don’t feel comfortable doing something, that’s explained both ways.”

Dampier’s bond with Beck involves conversations beyond the football field, mirroring his special relationship with former Saguaro coach Jason Mohns. Mohns, now the tight ends coach with Arizona State, was more than just a coach to Dampier during his time at Saguaro.

“That guy was there for me any time I needed him,” Dampier said. “I was able to talk to him about any topic, any needs I had. He got me around his family. It takes a lot for a man to allow somebody to be so close to their family and their wife. They were always truly supportive of me outside of football. It was more than just football between us, and that’s all I could ask for.”

Now on the opposing sideline of his former high school coach, Dampier felt a familiar connection with Beck at New Mexico that led him to follow him to Utah.

“Similar to coach Mohns, (Beck) truly asked me questions that you wouldn’t really expect from a coach, just because he wants to know more about you than just the football side of things,” Dampier said. “He’s not scared to call any plays because he gives me that reassurance that he believes in me and my abilities. For a coach to believe in me to that level, that’s all I can ask for.”

Dampier said Utah’s Oct. 11 matchup with the Sun Devils at Rice-Eccles Stadium is one he has circled on his calendar, both to see an old friend and to take down the reigning conference champions.

The Big 12 expects to be loaded with competitive quarterback play in 2025. Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt is the conference’s top contender for a Heisman Trophy, but Dampier is not too far behind. Leavitt sits at +2000 odds to win the award, while Dampier has the next highest odds among Big 12 signal callers at +5000, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

While Dampier is not too worried about Heisman odds in July, he is focused on doing a better job of taking care of the ball this year. After committing 12 turnovers a season ago, he wants to be more efficient and make better choices with the game in his hands.

“I think decision-making is the biggest part of being a quarterback,” Dampier said. “Being able to keep moving the ball forward and trusting your guys when you need to trust them. I think I’m getting better at, when times are getting quick, just not making bad decisions and turnovers. That’s something I want to limit this year.”

Utah is well-equipped to protect its newest quarterback. On his left and right, Dampier has two projected first-round NFL Draft picks in left tackle Caleb Lomu and right tackle Spencer Fano. Joining a power conference program means a better list of weapons at his disposal than he had in Albuquerque. Whittingham believes Dampier can only improve with more help around him.

“Devon, in the offense in New Mexico, finished fourth in the nation last year in total offense,” Whittingham said. “Not to be disparaging, but he was pretty much a one-man show and did most of it on his own. So I’m sure he’s excited to be able to operate behind our offensive line.”

Utah battled injuries to several key positions and players in 2024, including veteran quarterback Cam Rising, falling from projected conference winners in its first season in the Big 12 to a disappointing 5-7 finish. Before last season, Whittingham tabbed defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley as his successor to lead the program, signalling an impending end to Whittingham’s long career. However, following the disappointing season, Whittingham decided to return for his 21st consecutive season leading the Utes, hoping his transfer quarterback can be the key to finishing on a high note.

“I couldn’t stomach going out on that with that season, as frustrating and discouraging as it was,” Whittingham said. “It just didn’t sit well with anybody, but most of all me. So I thought, ‘Hey, that’s not going to be the final act of my deal. I’ve got to come back and try to get the ship right and back on track.’”

That would align with Dampier’s plans for 2025, which go beyond making a bowl game or winning the conference title.

“I really see us in the playoffs,” Dampier said. “I truly see us making that point. Not just Big 12 champions, but the college football playoffs. I see us there, and I see us making some noise this year.”