Derrick Odum

Derrick Odum
Current position
TitleDefensive backs coach
TeamUtah
ConferenceBig 12
Biographical details
Born (1970-04-22) April 22, 1970
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Utah (BS, MS)
Playing career
1988–1992Utah
PositionsSafety, cornerback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1995–1997Utah (GA)
1998–1999Montana (DB)
2000–2002Utah State (DB)
2003–2004Houston (DB)
2005–2007Utah (DB)
2008–2014SMU (DB)
2015–2016Oregon State (DB)
2017–2018San Jose State (DC)
2018–2025San Jose State (AHC/DC)
2026–presentUtah (DB)

Derrick Alexander Odum (born April 22, 1970)[1][2][3] is an American college football coach and former college football player. He is the Defensive backs/Safeties coach for the Utah Utes football team.

Early life

Odum was born in Baltimore.[3] He attended Woodbridge High School in Irvine, California, and played on its football team as a wide receiver,[4][5] cornerback,[6][7] quarterback,[8][9][10] and defensive back,[10] as well as on the basketball team as a guard,[11][12][13] and on the baseball team.[14] In Odum's senior season in 1987, he played a role in winning the high school a conference championship[15] and, subsequently, won first-team Desert-Mountain Conference All-CIF Team defensive honors, All CIF Southern Section defensive player honors, and Cal-Hi Sports' all-state defensive player honors.[16][17][18] He was invited to and played in the 29th annual Orange County all-star game team at LeBard Stadium.[19][20] Odum graduated from Woodbridge High School in 1988, and signed his National Letter of Intent to play for the Utah Utes football team.[15]

College years

During his freshman year at Utah, Odum started his first game as a safety against fourth-ranked Nebraska.[21][22] In his senior year, he switched to become a starting cornerback.[23][24]

Odum also played on the Utah Utes baseball team in 1992 and 1993[25] as a pinch hitter,[26] utility player,[27] and outfielder.[28]

Odum graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in political science in 1993, and went on to become a pharmaceutical consultant at SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories in 1994.[29]

Coaching career

Odum was a Graduate assistant for Utah from 1995 to 1997, under head coach Ron McBride, and graduated with a master's degree in sport psychology in 1998.[1]

Since obtaining his master's degree, Odum has spent most of his coaching career as a defensive backs coach. In 1998, he became a defensive backs coach for Montana under Mick Dennehy.[30] In 2000, Odum followed Dennehy to Utah State for the same position.[31][32][33] In 2003, he took the same position as a secondary coach at Houston under Art Briles.[34][35] In 2005, Odum came back to Utah for the same position under first year head coach Kyle Whittingham.[36] In 2008, he took the same position as a secondary coach at SMU under June Jones.[37][38] In 2014, Odum took the same position as a secondary coach at Oregon State under Gary Andersen.[39]

In 2017, Odum became the defensive coordinator at San Jose State under first-time head coach Brent Brennan. He was then promoted to associate head coach in 2018.[40][41] Odum was relieved of his duties on November 17, 2025 after the 55-10 blowout loss to Nevada. Odum is San Jose State's longest tenured defensive coordinator in program history with 9 seasons.[42]

In January 2026, Odum returned to Utah for his second stint as the defensive backs coach at Utah, under head coach Morgan Scalley.[43]

Personal life

Odum married Ania Terese Homan in 2001.[2] The couple has two sons, one of whom plays baseball at San José State, and one daughter.[25][44]

References

  1. ^ a b "Derrick Odum". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana, U.S. September 12, 1998. p. G6 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Marriage Licenses". Tucson Citizen. Tucson, Arizona, U.S. August 2, 2001. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Derrick Odum". SJSU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - San Jose State Spartans. Archived from the original on July 13, 2025. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  4. ^ Lowery, Steve (September 26, 1987). "Woodbridge Handles University". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. Part III, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Romano, Dave (November 21, 1987). "Woodbridge Romps Over St. Genevieve, 35-0". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. Part III, 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Hamilton, Tom (October 18, 1987). "Woodbridge Remains Perfect, 23-0". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. Part III, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Orange and Trabuco Hills Meet Today". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. Part III, 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Woodbridge Eliminates Paso Robles". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. November 28, 1987. p. Part III, 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Killion, Ann (November 30, 1987). "Quarterbacks Are Thrown Into Another Line of Work on Court". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. Part III, 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b Foster, Chris (December 1, 1987). "A Debut for Odum to Savor". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. p. 7, Part III – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Kresal, Steve (November 28, 1986). "Woodbridge Is Hoping to Reach New Heights". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. pp. Part III, 24–25 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Boogaard, Andy (March 12, 1987). "Woodbridge too much for Washington". Fresno Bee. Fresno, California, U.S. pp. D1–D2 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Hamilton, Tom (December 1, 1987). "THE TEAMS: It's Another Season of Mater Dei". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. 6, Part III – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Hamilton, Tom (July 6, 1988). "As South Center, Tullar Hopes to Fill In Fine". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. 7, Part III – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "Woodbridge's Odum Will Attend Utah". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. July 12, 1988. p. 7, Part III – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "All-CIF team". Ventura County Star. Ventura, California. December 21, 1987. p. C-2 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Football". Thousand Oaks Star. Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. January 6, 1988. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Football". Merced Sun-Star. Merced, California, U.S. January 5, 1988. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Johnson Heads South All-Star Football Team". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. 13, Part III – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Hamilton, Tom (July 8, 1988). "Johnson Duo Looks to Have Everything Going South's Way". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. 10, Part III – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Rosetta, Dick (September 14, 1989). "'Huskers Have All The Top Numbers". Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Facer, Dirk (October 6, 1989). "Utes hoping to draw line on Miners in El Paso". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Baird, Joe (September 24, 1992). "Utes' Defensive Game Plan: Give Opponents No Option". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Baird, Joe (September 27, 1992). "Utes Break Beavers' Wishbone, Coast to Surprisingly Easy Win". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. pp. D1, D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b Burt, Tim (November 25, 2020). "Derrick Odum relishing job as defensive coordinator with high-flying San Jose State". OC Sports Zone. Santa Ana, California, U.S. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025.
  26. ^ Mortimer, Brad (April 8, 1992). "U. baseball team gets blued in Cougarland, 10-3". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Mortimer, Brad (April 17, 1992). "Sluggin' Utes host Air Force for two weekend twinbills". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Baird, Joe (March 28, 1993). "Utah's Signy Pitchers Help Sweep New Mexico". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "U. athletes get help finding jobs". The Daily Utah Chronicle. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Utah assistant name UM's secondary coach". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana, U.S. March 1, 1998. p. C9 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "Four Griz assistants to leave with Dennehy". The Billings Gazette. Missoula, Montana, U.S. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Wasatch Alumni to Meet New USU Coach". Wasatch Wave. Heber, Utah, U.S. April 26, 2000. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Crowton: Cougar Offense Has Long Way to Go". Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. March 18, 2001. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt (December 27, 2002). "Aggies Hire Kotulski to Run Defense". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. pp. C1–C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "The Daily Advertiser". Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S. August 28, 2003. p. 59 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "Whittingham adds offensive coordinator, secondary coach". The Daily Herald. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. December 13, 2004. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Jones rounds out his staff at SMU". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. February 13, 2008. p. D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Beard, Aaron (November 27, 2010). "SMU's turnaround continues". The Odessa American. Greenville, North Carolina, U.S. Associated Press. p. 7D – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Letourneau, Connor (December 24, 2014). "Utah's Sitake among OSU coaching hires". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon, U.S. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ Mizell, Gina (December 21, 2016). "Beavers lose another coach to San Jose State". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon, U.S. p. B4 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "College". Napa Valley Register. Napa, California, U.S. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "San Jose State fires defensive coordinator with two games remaining". The Mercury News. 2025-11-18. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  43. ^ Bartle, Steve (Jan 3, 2026). "Utah Football Brings Back Veteran Coach Derrick Odum as Safeties Coach". KSL-TV. Salt Lake City.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  44. ^ "Jeremiah Odum - Baseball 2025". SJSU Athletics - Official Athletics Website - San Jose State Spartans. Retrieved 2025-11-08.
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