Derrick Teegarden, QB, 5-11, 170, 4.5, Odessa High School, Class 2-5A, Odessa, Texas has had a great 2.5 years at the helm of the Broncos..

He rushed the ball 109 times for 833 yards for an average of 69.4 yards a game or 7.64 yards a carry and he punched the ball into the endzone eight times.

Combining passing and running he was responsible for 138 points on the season or 11.5 points a game. Overall, he accounted for 23 touchdowns.

Counting his sophomore season, he went 18-8 as a starter but 16-3 as a full time starter in his junior and senior years.

District Coach of the Year and Head Coach Ron King was asked about Teegarden’s height, it seems to be between 5-10 to 6-1 depending on which 7-11 store he leaves, the coach laughed and said he is 5-11. Where the other numbers came from he did not know.

Even though most believe he played two years the fact is he actually started in his sophomore season going 1-4. The coach said he “played three years” is a three year letterwinner and “started as a sophomore the last five games of the season” after the starting quarterback left the program.

Starting just five games in 2007, he was impressive enough to earn second team All-District as a result of him completing 101 of 214 passing attempts for 1,258 yards with a 47% completion rate and nine touchdowns to nine interception ratio. He rushed 120 times for 492 yards for an average of 4.1 yards per carry and four touchdowns.

In 2008, his junior year, he was All-State Honorable Mention, First Team All-District, All-Permian Basin QB, All-District 2-5A QB, and Honorable Mention All-State QB for completing 151 of 233 attempts for 2,224 yards and a 64% completion rate. He recorded 24 touchdowns to ten interceptions. He rushed 114 times for 743 yards averaging 6.5 yards per carry and ten touchdowns. He won the honors and put up those stats while playing four games with injuries which also forced him to miss a game and a half during the season. It was amazing what he did considering he was about 150 pounds at the time.  

In 2009, his senior year, he was the 2-5A Offensive Player of the Year for completing 153 of 223 attempts for 1,911 yards and a 69% completion rate. He had 18 touchdowns to four interceptions. He ended the season with a 109 quarterback rating. Carrying the ball 109 he gained 833 yards for an average of 7.6 yards per carry and nine touchdowns. All his touchdown passes came in only seven games.

Each season he became a better quarterback and more effective quarterback which is bore out by the numbers. The coach noted that when he said "I think that he really has become a better quarterback the past two years” not only with his leadership skills off the field but “with his decision-making and his throwing” on the field.

Odessa uses a one back offense and this year they had the right quarterback who effectively used the wide receivers and running back. The offense was designed to utilize the abilities of Teegarden by rolling him out to the left or right on passing plays. They had a running back that was great enough to run the ball that was able to get the defenses to bite on play fakes. If Teegarden faked a handoff, the defense would key on the running back which allowed Teegarden to hit his receivers downfield or allowed him to bust through the open hole up the middle. The link below has the “Coaches Corner” which has a lot of film on the team, the offense they ran and how Teegarden handled the system.

Odessa Coaches Corner

As a result of leadership and quarterback play, this past season Odessa won their first outright district championship since 1963. It was the goal of Teegarden to wear “The Patch” on his jacket. “The Patch” was put on the jacket for being District Champions and he worked hard enough to see his dreams come true. He led the Broncos over the dreaded Permian Panthers the first time in years. In leading the Broncos to the playoffs last year and this year it was the first time since the 1940’s Odessa went to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Teegarden completed his career with more than 5,100 yards passing and 51 touchdowns.

In five years at the helm of Odessa, Teegarden is Coach King’s first player to sign a national letter of intent to play for a Division 1 program.

“He is very comfortable either throwing or running the ball” and maybe it is because he “always comes prepared” to every game according to King. Teegarden really studies the upcoming games and knows what has to be done to get a win. “He is extremely competitive and hates to lose and will do whatever it take to win.”

Here are some of the comments from basic scouting reports on Teegarden before all his high school games. ‘The Bronchos run a shotgun spread offense, led by QB Derrick Teegarden. Teegarden, is one of the district’s best all-around players and is a dual threat. He is an exceptional passer, as well as an elusive runner.’

When watching film, he has bursts speed when he takes off and outstanding footwork. He can gun the ball downfield accurately, right on the numbers, even when he is rolling out. “He can see the field and see plays develop and knows which one will work.”  The coach said Teegarden is “elusive” and has the “right moves” to cause defenders to miss when trying to tackle him.

Odessa High “has not been very good for awhile” the coach stated but with Teegarden at the helm they made it into the playoffs twice in the last two years and helped the team win “their first outright district championship since 1963.” The coach said next season he is going to miss him because he is a winner and has been a great mentor to the rest of team. “I think I’m going to cry when I look around for him and it will not be there.”

What the coach was talking about Odessa “not been good for awhile” can be explained this way. With Teegarden at the helm in 2008 and 2009 they went 9-3 each year. In 2007 Odessa went 3-7, 2006 2-8, in 2005 they had a winning record of 7-4 then you have to go all the way back to 1997 for their last winning season.

How good does the coach think Teegarden is? “There are 24 offensive records around here and he owns 22 of them, I think that should tell you how good he is.”  Surprisingly, he acquired most of the records as a junior.

So here are some of Teegarden’s records; he is #1 and #2 on the list for the quarterbacks to run and pass for 100 or more yards in a game. In 2007 against Midland High School he rushed for 150 yards and passed for 113. In the same year he rushed for 107 yards and passed for 183 against Tascosa. He is tied at #1 for most touchdowns in a game with four. He is the leading quarterback with a season total of 24 passing touchdowns and for a career of 33.  He is #1 in most touchdowns responsible for, passing and rushing, in one game with six. He holds the #1 spot in a season for touchdowns where he has 34, ten rushing and 24 passing and for a career with 14 rushing and 33 passing for a total of 47. He holds the title for most passing yards in a career. He is #1 in most passing attempts in a game with 45, the most in a season with 234 and the most in a career of 459. He is tied for #1 in most pass completions in a game with 22 and #1 in pass completions in a season with 152. He is the first quarterback in OHS history to run for over 200 yards and to pass for over 200 yards in one game. He is tops at most touchdowns passes and #1 etc, etc, etc… Under his command the offense set game records of over 700 yards in one game then two weeks later they racked up another 667 yards putting them at #1 and #3 slots for all-time yardage in a game. The #2 team was way back in history.

In explaining how competitive Teegarden is, King stated “he doesn’t like to run out of bounds and prefers take on the tacklers” even when he would be way short of the first down.  The coach said there are times when a quarterback has to realize the play is over with and he has go out of bounds and maybe punt the ball. That’s not Teegarden, the coach said he thinks he can get a first down no matter what the odds. 

Teegarden choose North Texas for several reasons. He does have family members in the DFW area and would like to play in front of them. Teegarden and coach believe in what Head Football Coach Todd Dodge is doing and believe the team is ready to break out and he wants to be a part of it.  

Asked if the only reason Teegarden signed with North Texas is because Dodge recruited him as a quarterback and he might be too short to play the position for other schools, the coach said that was not true. “He is willing to play any position, whether on defense or offense.” Because of his speed he can play almost anywhere. Teegarden was quoted in an interview that explains his position "Coach Dodge is recruiting me at quarterback. I know there are other quarterbacks there, including Riley (Dodge, the coach's son), but I just want a chance to compete and show them what I can do and find a way to get on the field, at whatever position it is."

King could not stop talking about how good a player and how great a person Teegarden is. He believes he will help North Texas on the field and in the locker room. “This kid is smart” and has a 4.02 GPA to show for it. “He has a leadership quality that is hard to find.” He will show players what it takes to win, not by talking about it but doing it himself. He will show what it takes to be a winner. “He leads by example.” The coach has also stated in the past “Derrick has amazing passion for his team, his teammates, and for the city of Odessa. He’s a terrific leader on and off the field. You’d be hard pressed to find a better all-around young man.”

Teegarden went to several camps in order to improve his skills. One he attended was the Joel Babb Skills Camp which he accredits for his success. From their website he stated "this camp really helped me in my drop backs in the pocket. It also helped me on my deep balls as well as every other route. During the season I saw the most improvement in my accuracy in my deep passes.”

Last year he was the quarterback on the 7 on 7 team that were the West Texas Champions.

So what is he doing in the off season? Teegarden is the centerfield for the baseball team which, at this time, is 18-11-1 overall and 11-4 in district. King said he is “doing extremely well for the baseball team.” He went on to point out “so far this season he has two walk-off homeruns. He stole home and had an inside the park homerun in the same game” and reiterated Teegarden is fast, “he has been timed running 4.4” He is a likely candidate for All-District in baseball.

In his sophomore year playing baseball he was elected Newcomer of the Year in district play.

He’s called “Pup.” Don’t know why, maybe because he leaves messes in the defenses front yard and all the way to the endzone.