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The New Threads from Dev
9/16/2025 10:00 AM | Football
How Devon Dampier made it a special season for the North Canyon High School Rattlers
SALT LAKE CITY - Being a starting quarterback at a Power Four institution is a position that usually comes with a certain profile. People often want something from you, whether it's a photo, an autograph, a souvenir or just to ask you about that throw you made on 3rd-and-4 last week.
Utah's Devon Dampier, however, views that notoriety as an opportunity to help people who might not be in a position like he is. "I'm on this world to help people," said Dampier. "I truly believe that's something I was gifted with, just to be able to be in my situation. When I can help others out, I'm willing to do it any time."
Just such an opportunity presented itself recently, as Dampier began to meet and spend time with the student athletes on the North Canyon High School Rattlers football team in Phoenix, Ariz., a group that includes his younger brother, Dominic. Dampier, himself a Phoenix native, learned there might be a way he could lend the program a hand.
"I've been at that school a couple times," said Dampier, "and [they're] just a little bit less fortunate than the high school I grew up in. To be able to allow those kids to just see the other side and to be able to have that, I thought that was important to me to get done for them."
"I was ecstatic," said Anthony Johns, the head coach at North Canyon, when he found out about Dampier's desire to aid the program. "Football is expensive and it's hard to raise funds, especially in high school. It's truly a blessing."
Johns, who communicated with Dampier through Dampier's mother, also said he immediately knew how the Utah quarterback could help the team. "It had been years since we had new uniforms," said Johns. "For us, it was a must. It's hard to get things and we do fundraise every year, but we would have had to take in a big stash out of that to put that money away for a couple of years to be able to do that. To be able to take that off our list of things we need as soon as possible, it was a huge relief."
For Dampier, much of the meaning came from providing for a group of players he'd gotten to know through his brother. "He's going into a senior year," said Dampier, "He's very social, so his friends come over and I get to meet his friends and the people who are there and I give back any time I can."
Dampier was also appreciative of the reaction from the North Canyon players when they found out about his gesture. "They're great," he said. "You can obviously tell that they are very grateful for what I did for them. When you have kids that are grateful for any help that they get, it just means a lot more when you do it. A lot of smiles and a lot of thank yous."
"The kids absolutely loved them," said Johns. "They couldn't have been happier. None of them have ever gotten new uniforms at our school, because this would've been our sixth year in the last set. They were just ecstatic. It was great."
The time Dampier has spent getting to know the players at North Canyon, the new uniforms he helped them acquire and the appreciation shown by Johns and his team have helped create a bond that has Dampier keeping tabs on the Rattlers, who are also glued to their televisions for every Utah football game. "Really closely," said Dampier when asked if he'd be following North Canyon's season. "I've already knocked out the first game. I'm tapped in for sure."
Dampier also said he heard from many NCHS players after Utah's season opening win over UCLA. "I got a lot of messages," he said, "especially after the game, a lot of Arizonans letting me know that they were tuning in for that game. A lot of them stayed up late." "They're all huge fans of Devon," said Johns. "I'm not surprised to hear they stayed up late for that."
When the 2025 football season ends, most people are going to remember Devon Dampier for the special moments he created on the football field. They'll remember the touchdowns, the big plays, the wins he helped lead the Utes to and the time spent singing the fight song with his teammates after victories.
For a group of football players in Arizona, their memories of Devon Dampier's impact on their 2025 season will likely be different. They'll remember a person whose generosity helped make their year special without ever having to step on the field with them.
"It's hard to put it into words," said Johns when asked about what message he'd like to pass along to Dampier. "We're blessed and we're happy and we couldn't be thankful enough. I'd give him a big hug and tell him thank you. It's a huge blessing to our school and our community and especially where we are. It's something that we're unbelievably grateful for."
Utah's Devon Dampier, however, views that notoriety as an opportunity to help people who might not be in a position like he is. "I'm on this world to help people," said Dampier. "I truly believe that's something I was gifted with, just to be able to be in my situation. When I can help others out, I'm willing to do it any time."
Just such an opportunity presented itself recently, as Dampier began to meet and spend time with the student athletes on the North Canyon High School Rattlers football team in Phoenix, Ariz., a group that includes his younger brother, Dominic. Dampier, himself a Phoenix native, learned there might be a way he could lend the program a hand.
"I've been at that school a couple times," said Dampier, "and [they're] just a little bit less fortunate than the high school I grew up in. To be able to allow those kids to just see the other side and to be able to have that, I thought that was important to me to get done for them."
"I was ecstatic," said Anthony Johns, the head coach at North Canyon, when he found out about Dampier's desire to aid the program. "Football is expensive and it's hard to raise funds, especially in high school. It's truly a blessing."
Johns, who communicated with Dampier through Dampier's mother, also said he immediately knew how the Utah quarterback could help the team. "It had been years since we had new uniforms," said Johns. "For us, it was a must. It's hard to get things and we do fundraise every year, but we would have had to take in a big stash out of that to put that money away for a couple of years to be able to do that. To be able to take that off our list of things we need as soon as possible, it was a huge relief."
For Dampier, much of the meaning came from providing for a group of players he'd gotten to know through his brother. "He's going into a senior year," said Dampier, "He's very social, so his friends come over and I get to meet his friends and the people who are there and I give back any time I can."
Dampier was also appreciative of the reaction from the North Canyon players when they found out about his gesture. "They're great," he said. "You can obviously tell that they are very grateful for what I did for them. When you have kids that are grateful for any help that they get, it just means a lot more when you do it. A lot of smiles and a lot of thank yous."
"The kids absolutely loved them," said Johns. "They couldn't have been happier. None of them have ever gotten new uniforms at our school, because this would've been our sixth year in the last set. They were just ecstatic. It was great."
The time Dampier has spent getting to know the players at North Canyon, the new uniforms he helped them acquire and the appreciation shown by Johns and his team have helped create a bond that has Dampier keeping tabs on the Rattlers, who are also glued to their televisions for every Utah football game. "Really closely," said Dampier when asked if he'd be following North Canyon's season. "I've already knocked out the first game. I'm tapped in for sure."
Dampier also said he heard from many NCHS players after Utah's season opening win over UCLA. "I got a lot of messages," he said, "especially after the game, a lot of Arizonans letting me know that they were tuning in for that game. A lot of them stayed up late." "They're all huge fans of Devon," said Johns. "I'm not surprised to hear they stayed up late for that."
When the 2025 football season ends, most people are going to remember Devon Dampier for the special moments he created on the football field. They'll remember the touchdowns, the big plays, the wins he helped lead the Utes to and the time spent singing the fight song with his teammates after victories.
For a group of football players in Arizona, their memories of Devon Dampier's impact on their 2025 season will likely be different. They'll remember a person whose generosity helped make their year special without ever having to step on the field with them.
"It's hard to put it into words," said Johns when asked about what message he'd like to pass along to Dampier. "We're blessed and we're happy and we couldn't be thankful enough. I'd give him a big hug and tell him thank you. It's a huge blessing to our school and our community and especially where we are. It's something that we're unbelievably grateful for."
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