Durrenberger: Texas Head Coach Jerritt Elliott Reminds Us College Athletes Are People First

Living in the 21st century, what is the first thing most people do when they wake up?

It doesn’t matter that a million doctors tell you not to do it; when you roll over in the morning, the phone is usually the first thing to grab your attention.

Some check their email or messages, but I have to admit, my poison is X. What pressing sports news could I have possibly missed while I was asleep for six hours? I don’t know.

The difference between me and the student-athletes I cover is that thousands of people aren’t talking about me with just the touch of a button that says “post.”

RECORD-BREAKING RAMSEY 🤯🤯🤯

with 33 digs tonight, Ramsey sets the Texas rally-scoring era record, recording the most digs ever by a Longhorn in a four-set match and the second-most in program history🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/X0h8QSxdwJ
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) October 10, 2026

As a student journalist, I feel that I have an easier time relating to these student-athletes than my colleagues who are 25 years my senior. I’m on the same campus as the Texas volleyball team, going to the same restaurants and drinking the same coffee.

They're students first, navigating relationships, classes, family and all the uncertainties that come with being in your late teens and early 20s. But they also have the added responsibility of representing a university, competing at the highest level and performing in front of thousands of fans who feel entitled to an opinion on everything they do.

Texas volleyball head coach Jerritt Elliot understands the challenges that come with that responsibility. Beyond developing athletes on the court, he is tasked with helping them navigate the pressures of college and the expectations that follow them off it.

“Coaching is a unique thing,” Elliott said. The 18- to 22-year-olds and all the things they got on their plate and what they’re worried about. Boyfriends and school and family in town.”

Those responsibilities do not disappear when athletes step onto the court. And when the game ends, the commentary often continues long after the final whistle.

Social media has made it easier than ever for fans to share their opinions about a team’s performance. A missed serve, a costly error or a disappointing loss can turn into thousands of posts dissecting an athlete's ability. Sometimes the criticism extends beyond the game and becomes personal.

When the Southeastern Conference announced junior setter Rella Binney as Player and Setter of the Week, the comments were brutal.

“Damn every other SEC setter must have been mid this week,” one person wrote.

first career kill for Camille 💥🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/t5zEgECfA4
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) October 10, 2026

Overall, I believe that social media has been a net positive for women’s sports as a whole. People have more access to content as a whole, and the women’s sports communities have blossomed because of it. Networks like ESPN have picked up on the demand and have announced more primetime broadcasting of high-profile matches, which in turn introduced even more people to sports they’d normally never watch. But it also exposes these young, developing minds to a world of harsh and sometimes even mean comments.

“People don’t realize that these athletes are up right now from 5:30 in the morning and they go until 8 or 9 o’clock at night, and then they’re travelling,” Elliott said. “It’s a lot of responsibility, and they’re still learning who they are.”

That is an important distinction to make when discussing how athletes respond to online criticism. Fans see the finished product. They do not necessarily see the hours of practice, the demands of school or the personal struggles an athlete might be dealing with before stepping onto the court.

When I sit down at press row, I’m in a similar sitch. The argument I had with my parents, my mountains of homework and the drama I have with a boy don’t just go away because I suddenly have a job to do. But here’s the thing. If I write a sub-par story, people will read and go on with their day. Maybe I’ll receive a comment on my own X page. But I don’t have to scroll and see speculation or attacks on my personal life just because my writing wasn’t up to snuff.

And in some ways, I’m part of the problem. I can ask all the questions in the world, but I can only work with what the athletes give me. They don’t want to talk about personal stressors with a journalist they don’t trust. So all I have to go off of is what they tell me, so I report on what is on the surface.

And unlike professional athletes who have spent years navigating the spotlight, college athletes are still figuring out how to handle that attention while growing into adulthood.

“I’m trying to empower them to understand how incredible they are,” Elliott said. “And I think that’s the challenge that you have as an 18-to-(22-year-old). You doubt everything that you are as a human being."

RELLA. BINNEY. 😤🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/cfx5Nob91O
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) October 5, 2026

Elliott said he tries to help his players the best he can, but every player brings a different set of experiences and baggage into the locker room.

“You inherit kids, and 25 percent of women have been abused, or you got divorced parents, or they’re all going through all these different things that you're kind of managing, and then you're trying to all bring them together and find out what each one's going through, so you can keep their head on straight, and then get that synergy within the team to be able to compete,” Elliott said.

Those are the realities that can get lost when athletes become the subjects of online discourse. A player isn’t just the number they wear on their back.

I am not arguing that fans need to cease all online activity because players can get their feelings hurt. Sports are emotional, and discussion and debate are part of what makes being a fan enjoyable. Athletes are also competitors, and evaluating their performances is a natural part of sports.

The fact that athletes compete in front of thousands of people does not mean they should be expected to absorb every comment without consequence. Nor does having a public platform mean they owe fans access to every part of their lives.

As someone who checks X before I am even fully awake, I understand how easy it is to get caught up in the constant stream of opinions. It consumes me sometimes. A post is written, published and forgotten, sometimes in minutes. The person it targets may not have that luxury.

So, criticize the play all you want. Debate the decision. Be frustrated with the result.

Just remember that the person on the other side of the screen might be scrolling through the same endless feed you are, trying to get through the day, all while their frontal lobe isn’t even fully developed.

They are athletes, but they are students, too. And beyond that, they are people long before they are players.

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