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Ouachita Baptist University Athletics

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Jay Derby

  • Title
    Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach
  • Email
    derbyj@obu.edu
  • Phone
    870-245-5313

Jay Derby family
Jay with his wife, Susan, and youngest daughter, Anna. Not pictured: oldest daughter Caroline.
 

Education: Guilford College (1992)
Twitter: @derbytd
Seasons Coached: 25 (1999-Present)

Jay Derby is entering his 27th year (26th season) on the Tiger Football staff after coming to Ouachita from Delta State with head coach Todd Knight.

Derby will be in his 21st season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He served as the recruiting coordinator for Ouachita from 1999-2004, coached the defensive line from 1999-2001 and coached the wide receivers from 2002-2003.

In 2024 during Ouachita's seventh GAC championship season, Derby's offensive attack ranked 13th in the nation in scoring at 35.2 points per game. Quarterback Eli Livingston led the GAC and ranked seventh nationally in passing yards per completion at 15.7.

In 2023, the Ouachita offense ranked second in the Great American Conference with an average of 39.8 points per game. Derby coached the GAC's second-leading passer in Riley Harms who racked up nearly 200 passing yards per game. Harms' passing efficiency of 169.4 ranked first in the GAC and fourth in all of Division II. 

In 2022, the Tiger offense broke a trio of school records en route to its sixth GAC title. The Tigers averaged 42.6 points per game, which ranked second nationally in Division II. They broke the program record for total points in a season with 511. Ouachita also racked up 709 yards of total offense against Southwestern Oklahoma State, a new school record for yards in a single game.

In 2019, Derby Coached All-GAC QB Brayden Brazeal to the best completion percentage in NCAA Division II Football and second overall across all divisions of NCAA Football finishing at 75.94 percent, only .36% behind Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. In the same season, the Ouachita Offense led the Nation across all Divisions of NCAA Football in 3rd Down Conversion percentage at 62.34. That was a new Great American Conference record.

In 2012, the American Football Coaches Association named three finalists for the NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year. Derby was one of those finalists, recognizing him for his community involvement and the productivity of Ouachita's offense.

During the 2011 GAC Championship campaign, the Tiger offense ranked first in points per game and total offense in the conference.

Derby has coached and recruited over 70 All-Conference and NFL athletes in his career, including two different offensive players of the year, three freshmen of the year, six professional athletes, and two NFL players in wide receiver Julius Pruitt and tight end Phillip Supernaw.

Derby, a native of Goldsboro, N.C., played football at Guilford College in North Carolina where he won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship as a senior. He began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1992, coaching wide receivers and tight ends.

Derby went on to Methodist College for a year coaching running backs, and then to Delta State, where they won DSU’s first ever Gulf South Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, where his responsibilities included tight ends, receivers and special teams over a five year span.

Derby and his wife, Susan, have two daughters, Caroline, a 2023 Ouachita graduate, and Anna, who is entering her third year at Ouachita.

Recruiting Area: Central and southwest Arkansas.
                               Greater Houston Area in Texas
                              
Coaching Experience:
27th Year at Ouachita
2005-Present: Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, OBU
2004: Recruiting Coordinator, Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers Coach, OBU
2002 - 2003: Recruiting Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, OBU
1999 - 2001: Recruiting Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach, OBU
1995-1998: Wide Receivers Coach, Delta State University
1994: Tight Ends Coach, Delta State University
1993: Running Backs Coach, Methodist College
1992: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends Coach, Guilford College

Coaching Accomplishments: 
7x GAC Champion (2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024)
GSC Champion (1998)
7 NCAA Playoff Appearances (1998, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024)
2012 AFCA Top 3 Finalist for Assistant Coach of the Year. 
3 Players Signed by NFL Teams (TJ Bingham, Julius Pruitt and Phillip Supernaw)
6 GAC All-Conference Quarterbacks
2 GAC Offensive Player of the Year (Casey Cooper, Kris Oliver)
4 GAC Freshman of the Year (Allie Freeman, Kris Oliver, Brayden Brazeal, Isaiah Simpson)

Ouachita Records:
Total points in a single season: 511 (2022)
Most points per game in a single season 42.6 (2022)
Most yards in a single game: 709 vs Southwestern Oklahoma State (2022)
Most passing yards in a single game: 478 vs Arkansas Tech (2008)

Quarterback Records:
Highest completion percentage in a season: Brayden Brazeal 75.94% (2019)
Most passing yards in a season: Eli Cranor - 2,570 (2010)
Most passing yards in a game: Lance Parker - 478 (2008)
Total offense in a season: Eli Cranor - 3,083 (2010)
Most rushing yards in a season by a QB: Casey Cooper - 957 (2011)
Single game completion percentage: Eli Cranor - 93.75% (2010)

Defensive Line Records: 
Most Sacks in a Season: T.J. Bingham - 18 (2001)