Elliott taking on leadership role, challenge from coaches

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AUSTIN — Though much of his play speaks loudly for itself, junior safety DeShon Elliott was challenged by Tom Herman and his position coach Craig Naivar to be a bigger presence in the locker room this offseason.

Elliott, who admitted he needed to come out of his shell some in order to complete the challenge, looked to two other team leaders for help.

“When they first got here, they told me I had to be more vocal,” Elliott said of the task from the staff. “I just didn’t talk. I learned from them if you want to stand out and be a leader for this team, if we could become leaders as a whole, it would go a long way. With Naashon (Hughes) and PJ’s (Locke) help, they helped me on my path to be a leader for this team.”

After looking to his teammates for advice, Elliott himself noticed the change in his persona this offseason.

“I talk more,” Elliott said. “At first, I didn’t talk. I used to just sit back and work and just work hard, be to myself. Anytime I can, I try to say something. I try to be positive for my team, be positive for my teammates, my brothers. Other than here, I’m still to myself, but when I walk inside that building I show them what I’ve got to do.”

His ability to be more vocal has a purpose on the field as well. Last season, the defense struggled throughout the year because they could not always find the proper place to line up. It got so bad at one point the defensive coaching staff gave players wristbands midway through the season to try and alleviate the issue.

Those wristbands are a thing of the past, according to Elliott, and are to be replaced by a better understanding of the defense and better communication on the field.

“You improve that by studying your playbook,” Elliott said. “If you don’t study your playbook, you don’t know what to do. You might know what to do for yourself, you can’t communicate with everybody else. You can’t just know your position. You’ve got to know all the positions.”

Naivar values communication as he is thought to be one of the more intense and fiery coaches in Moncrief. With those traits leading a position, it carries over to the players.

“I love him because he pushes us to be the best that we can be,” Elliott said. “He brings energy to the table with us. When he’s fired up, we’re fired up. He just keeps us going because he’s kind of crazy.”

When asked to answer questions about some of his teammates, Elliott continued to give praise to fellow defensive back mates. He complimented sophomore Brandon Jones calling him a “freakish athlete.” Junior Kris Boyd was described as someone who “plays with passion all the time.”

Juniors Holton Hill and Davante Davis are two players Elliott said “came a long way” this offseason. Locke, junior, was described as a good leader who has energy for all hours of the day, including the early hours of the morning.

“It could 4 o’ clock, 3 o’ clock, 2 o’ clock in the morning, P.J. is going to be up, loud, talking, ready to go,” Elliott said. “A guy like that, you want to follow because he’s always doing things right.”

In addition to these veterans, one newcomer caught Elliott’s eye.

“Josh Thompson,” Elliott said. “Freshman cornerback. Nacogdoches High School. He’s just like Brandon. He’s a freakish athlete. Footwork is crazy. He listens. He’s a real good listener.”

Following practice, Elliott and the rest of his team were not able to visit the new, high-tech locker room in Moncrief because the coaches discovered a messy player’s lounge. As a result, Herman and his staff pushed back the reveal day for the players.

Although there have been glowing reviews from recruits and impressive pictures, only one facility matters to Elliott.

“I’m trying to be on the field and doing some work,” Elliott said, smiling. “I don’t care about that locker room. I heard it was nice though.”