He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft.

Teel grew up in Oakland, New Jersey[1] and attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey, where he was an all-state selection his junior and senior seasons (2002) (2003), and led Don Bosco to a state championship in the parochial division and a 23–0 record as a starter.

In 2006, along with Brian Leonard, Tiquan Underwood, Eric Foster, Kenny Britt, and Ray Rice, Teel led Rutgers to a 9–0 start and one of the biggest wins in school history with a victory over Louisville, then ranked #3 nationally by the Coaches' Poll.

Teel struggled at the outset of the 2008 campaign by throwing seven interceptions over his first six games as the Scarlet Knights stumbled to a 1–5 record, but the fifth-year senior rallied and led Rutgers to six straight wins to close out the season along with a fourth straight berth in a college bowl game.

The yardage and touchdown totals were single game school records as the Scarlet Knights finished their schedule at 7–5.

In the last game of his collegiate career in the 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl against NC State, Teel helped Rutgers rally from a 17–6 deficit by throwing for 319 yards and two touchdowns.

On January 25, 2009, Teel was honored as Big East Conference Player of the Year by the New Jersey Sports Writers Association.