Madisen Skinner has emerged as a phenomenal athlete in the NCAA women’s volleyball realm. Displaying impeccable skills and talents, Skinner has so far won three NCAA championships. One of these championships came during her time with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2020. However, a chunk of her success came while donning the jersey of the Texas Longhorns. Skinner won a total of 2 NCAA championships with the Longhorns in 2022 and 2023. Owing to her heroics on the volleyball court, Skinner was also awarded the Honda Sports Award for the best player in college volleyball in 2023. 

However, that was not all. Getting her first big break, Skinner was also selected to represent the US national team at the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League. Now, while Skinner is undoubtedly a talented athlete, much of her success has come via her coach’s mindful training approach. Coming to the Longhorns with the weight of expectations weighing heavy, it was coach Jerritt Elliott who made Skinner breathe easy. 

Over the years, the duo has built a strong relationship built on trust and friendship. As Skinner has played her final match of her senior year for the Longhorns, it is only normal that she got emotional while reminiscing about coach Elliott. Playing in the semifinals, the Longhorns lost 26-24, 19-25, 21-25, 20-25, to Creighton, ending their hopes of a three-peat. Thus, while the dreams of clinching a hat-trick of NCAA championships got crushed, Skinner got candid about her relationship with her coach.

“I’ve learned a lot about Jerritt. I mean, just like we built our trust in the relationship, and I don’t do that easily. So, yeah, I’ve just enjoyed getting closer with him and enjoyed developing a relationship with a coach that I know I can trust and love very deeply. So, definitely wasn’t like that from the start, but it’s been a special past three years. I know I’m always going to have him in my corner for the rest of my life,” said Skinner. Her coach, too, agreed with his star student. 

Elliott acknowledged that the bond the duo shared was indeed unique and special. He said, “Yeah, I mean, the journey that we’ve been on has been unique and special. To get her to come to Texas was obviously a big part of our success. We knew that she was talented, but I think I try to take away a lot more from who these young women develop into off the court, not so much on the court. Yeah, I mean, obviously, on the court we wanted to develop them as players, but this is a cruel profession, and only one team gets to stand at the end of the year. So, to be able to trust Maddie, to work on her strengths, to have conversations about her weaknesses, and see her develop into a happy young woman is kind of special..”

The Longhorns’ coach further detailed how he focused more on building an athlete’s career off the court. Elliott also recalled how Skinner was afraid of social media initially during her time at the Longhorns. However, over the years, she became more and more confident, and now Skinner is a social media sensation.

The NCAA volleyball icon further delved into how her coach helped her grow as an individual. “Learning how to advocate for myself, taking a risk transferring, and choosing to trust Jarrett, the staff, and the girls in the program—investing in them as people. It’s hard to think of one thing that I’m most proud of, but I would say my growth as a person,” recalled Skinner. However, as much as their bond is lauded at present, there was a time when Jerritt Elliott faced a shocking rejection from Madisen Skinner.

Jerritt Elliott reveals Madisen Skinner’s shocking rejection of the Longhorns 

As surprising as it might sound, the much-talked-about partnership between Jerritt Elliott and Madisen Skinner might not have happened in the first place. This is because Skinner was initially reluctant to join the Longhorns! Speaking in an exclusive interview with Essentially Sports, Elliott spilled the beans on how Skinner had a contrasting idea of what the Longhorns’ program actually looked like.