Derrick Odum
American football player and coach (born 1970)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive backs coach |
| Team | Utah |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 22, 1970 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Utah (BS, MS) |
| Playing career | |
| 1988–1992 | Utah |
| Positions | Safety, cornerback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1995–1997 | Utah (GA) |
| 1998–1999 | Montana (DB) |
| 2000–2002 | Utah State (DB) |
| 2003–2004 | Houston (DB) |
| 2005–2007 | Utah (DB) |
| 2008–2014 | SMU (DB) |
| 2015–2016 | Oregon State (DB) |
| 2017 | San Jose State (DC) |
| 2018–2025 | San Jose State (AHC/DC) |
| 2026–present | Utah (DB) |
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 and prior to receiving his first defensive coordinator job, Odum has spent most of his coaching career as a defensive backs coach for Montana from 1998 to 1999[30], Utah State from 2000 to 2002[31][32][33], Houston from 2003 to 2004,[34][35] Utah from 2005 to 2007.[36] SMU from 2008 to 2014,[37][38] and Oregon State from 2015 to 2016.[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]