How SDSU, USD football programs manage mental health

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — From injuries to the transfer portal carousel, today's college football players navigate a high-stakes world beyond the gridiron. South Dakota’s Division I football programs are stepping up to support their players' mental health.

Dontay Johnson has been playing for South Dakota State football for five seasons, but a lot of his time with the Jackrabbits has been spent battling injuries.

"I've been injured or have dealt with some type of injury almost every single year I've been here," Johnson said. "It's really hard just being on the sideline or watching practice on the sideline, like your brothers, your teammates go through all the hard workouts, and they're having fun playing the game," Johnson said.

The support he received from teammates and coaches helped him cope. But the football program also has around-the-clock resources in place for athletes.

The NCAA requires all member schools to make licensed mental health services accessible to all of their student-athletes as part of its Mental Health Best Practices initiative.

Holly Van Vlymen oversees the student-athlete experience at SDSU, including managing mental health practices for the football program.

"We have a stepped care model here so they can get in within fifteen minutes, any day of the week," Van Vlymen said. "So if they're having an issue, they're worried about their grades, or something happened back home, or have a problem with the significant other, they can walk over to our health center, fill out a little questionnaire about why they're there, and they can get seen immediately."

Prioritizing mental health in a football program is something that Johnson's head coach, Dan Jackson, experienced firsthand early on in his coaching career.

"I coached a player that was really struggling mentally, and it impacted me. I was just a graduate student at the time," Jackson said. "I just saw the swings that he could potentially have, and then the stressors. I learned more about the stressors in his life that could be causing it."

Now, as a head coach, Jackson makes a concerted effort to connect with each of his players on that level. The expansion of the transfer portal has only shortened the timeframe that coaches have to get to know a player.

"We have designated time throughout the week called non-football meetings, where our players and staff get together where our players and staff get together and we mix up the groups. It's different position groups in different classes, different areas, maybe part of the country they're from, and we get together, and we have questions that we discuss, and none of it can go back to football."

"It's truly inspiring to hear some of the guys, and you would never know what they've gone through and how far they've come and the man they became," SDSU defensive end Dawson Ripperda said.

Running back Charles Pierre Jr. was set to have another big season at South Dakota in 2025. An injury in the second game of the season halted those plans.

"I started wondering if football was even for me," Pierre Jr. said. "Whether it was time for another chapter, how I was going to navigate my next steps in life. I definitely had some dark times throughout there."

The Coyotes' mental health resources are similar to the Jacks', but include Tanner Peterson, a licensed professional counselor who serves as the coordinator of student-athlete mental health.

"I'm trying to get people to think their best or think efficiently. Help us understand our feelings so we can process them and get those out of the way so we can then go choose actions and perform in a way that helps us, whether that's the two-minute drill on Saturday or preparing for an exam on a boring Wednesday," Peterson said.

Peterson is around the facility daily and on the sideline for home games, but his ultimate goal is to equip players with the tools to succeed without him.

"I don't want our athletes to need me. Just like an athletic trainer doesn't want to be super busy, I want to be utilized, but I don't want them to feel like they need to see me because we need to build those skills up so they can go perform, we can kick butt, and we can win on Saturdays and do awesome things," Peterson said.

"He's really good people. He's one of those people that you can go to, and everything's confidential, so that's a big piece too," Pierre Jr. said. "As far as that, I feel like it's a lot of support around here. Coaches and players, they make it apparent. There's been many times where I want to sit in the coach's office, and we just talk for hours."

Those position coaches are another big support for USD.

"All of our coaches have guys over to their house to be able to see that you as a coach, as a father, and a husband. I think when you see a man in that element, and you're around his family, it's like, man, this guy is just a human," USD head coach Matt Vitzthum said.

Social media and the access it provides fans adds a sometimes unwanted pressure to football programs. Coaches are still learning how to help these young players navigate the words that come across their screens.

"It is constantly in their face and very difficult to manage, and so I ask that they come to me with those things and we can talk about them. My only promise is that I'm never going to lie to them. If taking an opportunity is best for them, I'm going to tell them that way," Jackson said.

For both programs, building strong relationships is the foundation for all that comes along with being a Division I football player.

Athletes like Johnson and Pierre Jr. are now leading that conversation.

"People think that we just roll out of bed and go play a game on Saturdays," Johnson said. "There's a lot of emotions, a lot of work that goes into 365 days of the year."

"I talk to everybody and make sure they're doing alright because you never know what somebody's going through. You never know how that little action could change somebody's day," Pierre Jr. said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can reach out to 988.