Devon Dampier left BYU with a sharper Heisman case than he had when the day started. Utah’s quarterback had 87 rushing yards, 177 passing yards and even a 29-yard reception on Saturday, and the Utes quickly turned that performance into a public push for award attention.
The campaign was not subtle. Utah used multiple social media posts carrying #SPID4HEISMAN to make the point that Dampier belongs in the Heisman conversation, and teammates have been saying the same thing in their own way. Lance Holtzclaw, who said he has known Dampier since he was 15 and used to play seven-on-seven with him during summers in Arizona, said he has been telling people Dampier should be in the race and called it a blessing to play with him.
Holtzclaw’s view matters because it comes from someone who has watched Dampier up close for years, not just after a big Saturday. James “Bobo” Chenault Jr. echoed that sentiment, saying Dampier has been playing like a Heisman and that watching him go off motivates him to keep going and give him the ball back.
That enthusiasm meets a harder Utah reality. In the program’s history, only one player has ever reached Heisman finalist status: Alex Smith, who finished fourth in 2004 after leading the Utes to a BCS-busting undefeated season. That is the standard Dampier is being measured against now, even as the buzz around him grows louder.
If Utah keeps winning, Dampier can keep forcing the issue, and the conversation could keep moving beyond social media and into New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. For now, the BYU game gave him the kind of all-purpose performance that can change how a season is talked about, and Utah is making sure people notice.
