Miles Teodecki had offers from Power Four schools. The quarterback chose Penn instead.

Miles Teodecki had jammed a lot of fingers in his life. This was different.

On the second play of the 2024 Texas 6A-II state title game, the then-junior quarterback whacked his throwing hand on another player’s helmet while attempting a pass. Miles needed medical attention after returning to the sideline.

From the stands of AT&T Stadium, Miles’ father, Stephen Teodecki, could tell something was wrong. His suspicions were only heightened when he saw Miles speaking with the school trainers. Stephen texted one of them, trying to figure out what was going on.

He got an answer: “Miles broke his finger,” Stephen recalled. “He’s refusing to come out.”

“They just threw a bunch of tape on it,” Miles said. “And I took well over the suggested amount of ibuprofen, and just kept playing.”

With a broken finger, Miles completed 14 of 17 attempts for 248 yards and two touchdowns, leading Vandegrift High School to a 24-17 win over Southlake Carroll. It was the program’s first state title and Miles was named the game’s most valuable player on offense.

“It made what was already a nerve-wracking experience, even more nerve-wracking,” Stephen said. “But, he played through it and it just makes that story even that much more memorable. The whole season was just magical.”

Two years later, Miles Teodecki is looking to bring his winning ways to Penn.

During the summer, it seemed that Teodecki — the highest-rated Penn recruit since 2000 — would sit for his freshman year. In August, coach Rick Santos told reporters at Ivy League Media Day that junior Karson Siqueiros-Lasky was the “clear-cut No. 1” option at quarterback. However, just days before Penn’s first game against Bucknell on Sept. 19, Santos told The Inquirer that Teodecki had won the starting spot.

“Obviously you’re competing against other guys in the [quarterback] room,” Teodecki said. “But, I’ve had multiple people in my past instill in me that you got to compete, outwork yourself every day. … If you look outwork and try to compete against the things around you, then you’re going to feel the pressures and feel overwhelmed. I just attacked it with that mentality.”

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Through six games, Penn is 3-3 and 1-2 in the Ivy League. Miles missed the Quakers’ loss to Columbia on Oct. 16 with a knee injury. He made his return against Yale last week, where he helped Penn pick up its first conference win.

On Saturday, Miles and Penn will face Brown (3-3, 1-2 Ivy) on the road (noon, ESPN+).

Teodecki took an unconventional route to the Ivy League.

He originally signed with Kansas State before mutually parting ways with the Big 12 program. Following the retirement of longtime coach Chris Klieman, the Wildcats’ new staff informed Teodecki that he did not fit the team’s new scheme. The left-handed quarterback was back to square one.

“Obviously it was a sudden change, and definitely not something that was planned for,” Teodecki said. “But you know, just one of those moments where there’s nothing you can do about it, and you just have to keep moving forward and figure out what’s next.”

That night, Santos — who was hired by Penn in December — called Teodecki and offered him a spot on the Quakers’ roster.

“We had about three and a half weeks to put together half a class,” Santos said. “I think we had 13 admission spots left, and didn’t really have a quarterback spot.”

After Teodecki’s departure from Kansas State was made public, a few Penn alumni reached out to Santos about the 6-foot-3 Texan. The pairing made sense. Stephen played quarterback for the Quakers in the early ‘90s while Miles’ godfather, Miles Macik, starred at wideout. The only issue for Santos was that his program was not the only one chasing Miles.

The quarterback received offers from multiple FBS programs including Brigham Young, James Madison, South Florida, and East Carolina. However, after careful consideration, Teodecki chose his father’s alma mater for its educational benefits. Teodecki is enrolled in the prestigious Wharton School, which is widely regarded as the best undergraduate business program in the country.

“He’s always been a kind of kid that’s mature beyond his years,” Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders said. “He does have a future in football at the highest level, I believe. But he also sees the value in what his life after football is going to look like.”

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The decision did not come without sacrifice. In the revenue sharing era of college sports, Power Four starting quarterbacks are earning between $1 million to $3 million per year, according to an ESPN analysis. Conversely, the Ivy League — in an attempt to maintain tradition — opted out of the House v. NCAA settlement, meaning the Ancient Eight schools cannot directly pay its players.

The Ivy does allow its student-athletes to profit off legitimate NIL opportunities, where a player receives a payment from a third-party for an advertisement or endorsement deal.

Teodecki will have an opportunity to profit from his play after receiving his Wharton degree. The Ivy League does not allow fifth-year players, so Teodecki could play for a larger program after graduating — if he is given the opportunity. Former Quakers quarterback Liam O’Brien graduated from Penn last year and is currently playing at Cincinnati. Meanwhile, former Penn wideouts Bisi Owens and Jared Richardson took the same path. They are now at Purdue and Duke, respectively.

“All the Ivy schools do it in the recruitment process,” Teodecki said. “They all tell everyone, ‘Hey, come here, play for four years, and then go grad-transfer for your fifth year and go play high-level ball and chase your dreams. Obviously, that’s something that played in.”

Added Stephen: “The idea of getting his Wharton degree, playing, you know, four years at Penn, and then having one more to go play somewhere else was definitely on his mind, and you know, God willing, something he can see through.”

Growing up, Miles never felt any pressure from his father to play football, let alone go to Penn. He noted that it was never his “life plan” to follow in his father’s footsteps, and it was more of a “cool coincidence” that he landed in West Philly.

Teodecki, like most Penn freshmen, is living in the Quad — a sprawling maze of connected dormitories built between 1894 and 1959. With all of its quirks, the charm of the Quad is that, for the most part, it has stayed the same through the decades.

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Stephen helped move Miles into his new dorm, where his father used to reside. From Miles’ window, Stephen spotted his old room across one of the Quad’s many courtyards.

“Surreal is probably the word I would most describe it as,” Stephen said.

In his first four starts, Teodecki experienced some growing pains. He completed 56% of his passes for 607 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. In those games, he did factor to be a threat on the ground, rushing for 166 yards and a touchdown.

In his fourth start, against Howard on Oct. 10., he left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. This time, the trainers did not let him back in. Siqueiros-Lasky replaced him, leading Penn to a 24-20 upset over the Bison.

“It was very frustrating,” Miles said. “Obviously, as an athlete and a competitor, whenever you have to watch on the sideline, it’s always an annoying moment, especially knowing that something happened outside of your control that you can’t control.”

Following a one-game absence, Miles completed 16 of 33 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns in Penn’s win over Yale. Following the game, he was asked about his return.

“Just blessed to be healthy to go out there,” Miles said, smiling. “God put me in this position. It’s just such a blessing. And as a competitive athlete, you just got to be ready for every opportunity.”