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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is all in on Devontae Booker.
Unlike most of his colleagues who try to temper expectations for a star player, Whittingham envisions his prized running back having "a huge year for us" in 2015. And unlike most coaches who avoid invoking the "H-word" until absolutely necessary, Whittingham has already begun promoting Booker's candidacy for college football's highest individual honor.
"If he starts getting yardage in the 2,000 range -- which is very reasonable if he stays healthy -- that's got to be, in our opinion, Heisman numbers," Whittingham said during a visit in his office last month. "You don't want to get too far ahead of the game, but by the same token, if you get guys that are exceptional players, you want to get them out in front of people and make them understand that you've got something special.
"Because I think [Booker] is a little under the radar. From a national perspective, I don't think there's a lot of people that know about him."
That's because Booker, who ran for 1,512 yards and added another 306 receiving in 2014, was something of an overnight sensation -- though in reality his breakthrough was nearly five years in the making. A year before rushing for 100-plus yards in five straight Pac-12 games, Booker was living at home in Sacramento with no school or football team to suit up for. And it was four games into last season before he emerged as Utah's feature back.
Once he did, though, Booker -- known to some fans as "Baby Marshawn Lynch" -- rushed for 178 yards against Washington State, 156 at UCLA and 229 at Oregon State. He finished the season with a 162-yard performance in the Utes' Las Vegas Bowl win against Colorado State. Come Sept. 3, when Utah hosts Jim Harbaugh's first Michigan team in a highly anticipated Thursday night season-opener, a national audience may get to see why Booker has so many veteran coaches tossing lofty superlatives his way.
"I've been around a lot of [running backs]," said longtime NFL and college head coach Dennis Erickson, now Utah's running backs coach. "He's one of the best I've had in college, without a question. College-wise, he's probably the most diversified back I've ever coached."
"We thought he was as good as anyone we faced last year -- and there were a lot of good running backs in the Pac-12," said Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson. "No one really stands out as being better than him."
"He's got power, he's got speed, he can make you miss, he can run you over, he's good inside the tackles, he's good outside the tackles," said Whittingham. "He's the whole package."
Booker, for his part, is an introverted, polite guy who appears unfazed by the spotlight. Which is somewhat remarkable given he spent the four football seasons prior to 2014 in relative anonymity -- two of them without football at all.
"To see what I've been through, from the time I graduated [high school] until now, a lot of people would have [given up]," he said. "They wouldn't have continued on this path to get up here and be a D-I player. I didn't want to have that thought at all."
A national top-75 running back prospect coming out of Northern California prep power Grant High, where he ran for 2,884 yards and 45 touchdowns as a senior, Booker (then known as Devontae Butler) first signed with Washington State in 2010 with an intent to grayshirt. When unable to achieve a qualifying SAT score by the winter semester, though, WSU moved on, so in 2011 he signed with Fresno State. Eventually, Booker said, he did get the necessary test score, but he remained a non-qualifier. He went the junior college route instead.
At American River College in hometown Sacramento, coaches quickly realized "he's one of those special, complete running backs -- everything you look for," said then-assistant and current head coach Jon Osterhout. "We knew that from Day 1 here."
But even as he racked up all-conference honors, Booker's academic difficulties continued to scare away major suitors. Utah was the first to come calling and signed him to its 2013 class, but once again, Booker came up just short in qualifying. He did not complete his last course in time to enroll at Utah that fall.
"It's not that he was a terrible student," said Osterhout, noting the NCAA's stricter requirements for juco transfers went into effect that year.
For the second time in four seasons, Booker could not play football, spending the 2013 season at home in Sacramento caring for his newborn son, Deashon. But Utah, unlike previous suitors, was willing to wait. He finally arrived for the winter semester.
Booker had to play catch-up in the weight room and in picking up the playbook, which helps explain why he remained behind incumbent Bubba Poole for the season's first three games. "We probably should have figured that out sooner," joked Whittingham. His breakthrough came in Week 4 against Washington State when he broke a 76-yard touchdown en route to a 178-yard day.
The following week, Utah visited No. 8 UCLA in a nationally televised night game.
"I just wanted to make a statement to everyone watching," said Booker. "Prove to people around the country there's a guy named Devontae Booker around, and he's coming to do good things."
Booker ran 33 times for 156 yards and Utah handed the Bruins their first loss of the season 30-28. The Utes subsequently vaulted into the top 25 themselves for the first time since joining the Pac-12 four years earlier.
Even then, Utah coaches hadn't fully tapped into Booker's most unique attribute -- he's arguably as good a pass-catcher as a runner.
"He's got great hands -- probably as good a hands as I've ever seen for a back. He catches everything," said Erickson. "You can shift him out of the backfield, flank him out, do some different things where you get him one-on-one against a linebacker, safety or even a cornerback. You move him, now you're empty -- who moves out with him?"
Later last season, Oregon largely held Booker in check on the ground, with 18 carries for 65 yards, but Booker caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. Against Stanford it was nine catches for 41 yards. "And it wasn't just screen passes," said Stanford's Anderson. "You'd see balls thrown behind him and he'd catch them, no problem."
How did he develop those hands of steel?
"I have two older brothers," said Booker. "When we played catch they'd throw the ball as hard as they can, and if I didn't catch it, they'd beat me up."
Many were surprised when Booker, who turns 23 later this month, returned for his senior season, but he said it wasn't a difficult decision. Even before the NFL Draft Advisory Board gave that recommendation (which meant he wasn't a projected first- or second-rounder), Booker wanted to come back primarily for one reason. The same guy who struggled for so long academically is close to completing his degree in sociology.
Draft position "really didn't have that much to do with it," he said. "I wanted to be in school."
On the field, Booker's personal goals mirror those of his coach -- he's specifically earmarking the 2,000-yard mark.
"That's one of my major goals," he said. "Just seeing other good running backs do that, like [Wisconsin's] Melvin Gordon and [Indiana's] Tevin Coleman this past season, I want to be put in that category."
A lot of things would have to fall in place for that to happen. For one thing, he'll have to remain healthy, a challenge for any player much less one expected to garner 30-plus carries a week. Meanwhile, Utah desperately needs to develop a passing game to complement him. It ranked just 95th in passing offense last season, though veteran quarterback Travis Wilson looked poised during spring.
Whether or not the lofty goals come to pass, Booker appreciates more than most to even have an outlet to accomplish them.
"Some people around the country, they don't take advantage of what I've got right now," said Booker. "I pretty much take advantage of every opportunity I get. Don't look back."
Stewart Mandel is a senior college sports columnist for FOXSports.com. He covered college football and basketball for 15 years at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @slmandel. Send emails and Mailbag questions to Stewart.Mandel@fox.com.
