Devon Dampier’s Excited For Utah To Come Together Against UCLA
Aug 27, 2025, 12:22 PM | Updated: 1:11 pm
SALT LAKE CITY— Utah football is only days away from its season opener against UCLA, and quarterback Devon Dampier is set to finally debut as the leader of the Utes offense.
After a long offseason, Dampier is excited that the season is finally here. The opportunity to play the Bruins in the Rose Bowl is a special one, not lost on Dampier.
With growing excitement and even expectations, Dampier is ready to take the field as a team, united together.
Devon Dampier is excited for the team coming together
After a long offseason, one that featured a lot of competition against each other, the Utes will finally compete against a different color jersey.
“Feeling great, we kind of come together as a team now, we’re all one now,” Dampier described. “We’ve been going against each other for a lot of months now, so to finally be on that field together means a lot.”
Coming to Salt Lake City back in December, Dampier’s acclimation into the program was a rather quick process. He was voted to the leadership council after just two weeks in the program, due in large part to Dampier’s leadership style fit.
“I always say, just live where your feet are,” he said. “I’ve made sure I’ve built the bonds with my teammates, and I feel really comfortable going into this week. I know I’m going to play for them, and I know they’re going to play for me.”
Looking forward to competing against UCLA in the Rose Bowl
The excitement for the season opener is always palpable. This year’s first game is a unique opportunity for Dampier and many others.
“You always hear about the Rose Bowl, so it’s going to be awesome to finally be in there,” Dampier said. “And I wouldn’t want to go in there with any other team.”
This season opener is a great one for a variety of reasons. It features two teams coming off down years in need of a win to start the season. It’s two former Pac-12 member schools, which both now call different conferences “home.”
“You always want to fight for your conference,” he explained. “Let them know, Big 12, we do the best here. Just a big conference kind of game going into it.”
With work to do for UCLA, Dampier feels prepared for improvement under Jason Beck
“I feel very prepared,” Dampier said. “Being around a better defense, the way we go about things, I feel the progression of myself personally.”
That will be a key factor for Utah this season. Dampier proved to be a dynamic dual-threat, but certainly has areas of improvement. A lot of that will revolve around the passing game, which has been the focus in their preparation for UCLA.
“A lot of coverage right now,” Dampier said. “We don’t fully know what they’re going to come out, but that’s why we have adjustments, that’s why we’ve got good coaches. Whatever they come out with, we’ve got to be able to answer right back.”
Dampier’s confidence is obvious; he feels this year’s offense will be able to do quite a bit to help this team win. When asked what to expect from the offense this season, Dampier put it plainly.
“Utah can score the ball, that’s my only thing going into this game,” he shared. “Utah’s always had the defense, but this is another year where Utah is going to be able to score the ball as well.”
