Jessica Dorrell started as an outstanding volleyball player at the University of Arkansas. Her life took an unexpected turn when she became the focus of a nationwide scandal in 2012. Her path led her from being a college athlete to making national headlines, before she returned to a quieter professional life.
The controversy exposed an extensive communication trail between Dorrell and football coach Bobby Petrino. Their exchanges included 326 phone calls and 7,228 text messages. She later moved to South Carolina to restart her career. The scandal hit during maybe one of Arkansas’ most successful football eras. Petrino had guided the Razorbacks to a strong 34-17 record over four seasons. The team achieved an impressive 11-win season in 2011. Their communication intensity peaked when they exchanged 91 texts in just one day.
Dorrell has built her professional career away from public attention. This piece explores her current life, her progression through coaching roles, and how she managed to keep her privacy after being the focus of a major college sports controversy.
Table of Contents
From Arkansas Athlete to National Headline
Jessica Dorrell became a household name years after she made her mark as an accomplished athlete at the University of Arkansas. Her path from a collegiate volleyball star to a controversial figure shows how a promising career can change unexpectedly.
Her volleyball career at the University of Arkansas
Jessica Dorrell left her mark on Arkansas’s volleyball program from 2004 to 2008 as an outside hitter from Aledo, Texas. She became the 12th player in Razorbacks’ history to reach 1,000 career kills. Her performance placed her among the program’s top 10 players of all time, with rankings in 11 different statistical categories.
Dorrell excelled off the court too. She managed to keep a 3.65 grade point average in finance, which showed her dedication to both academics and athletics. Her academic success earned her a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team, making her the ninth Lady Razorback volleyball player with this honor.
Her academic achievements stood out. She earned the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week title twice and joined the 2004 SEC all-freshman team. The honor rolls featured her name regularly. She achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA in spring 2007. The SEC Academic Honor Roll listed her name for three straight seasons after her first-year appearance on the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.
Transition into athletics administration
Dorrell stayed connected to her alma mater after her volleyball career ended. She completed her MBA in 2010, which prepared her for a career in athletics administration. The Razorback Foundation hired her as their first female fundraising staff member.
This role lined up with her finance background and opened doors for advancement in the university’s athletic department. Her fundraising expertise proved valuable later when she moved to South Carolina.
The incident that changed everything
The football program hired Dorrell as Student Athlete Development Coordinator in March 2012. She organized the recruiting process, handled eligibility for incoming student-athletes, planned official and unofficial recruiting visits, and helped with daily football operations.
The situation changed on April 1, 2012, when she had a motorcycle accident with head football coach Bobby Petrino. Petrino said he was alone during the crash at first, but a police report later showed Dorrell was there.
The investigation revealed concerning details. Reports showed Petrino had an inappropriate relationship with Dorrell for a “significant” time. He gave her $20,000, which she kept under her mattress before depositing it. She bought a car just days after starting her new job.
Petrino broke the university’s affirmative action policy when he hired Dorrell. The position needed a 30-day minimum posting before interviews could start. He never told university officials about their relationship or the money.
Quick action followed. Arkansas fired Petrino for cause on April 10, 2012. Dorrell stepped down from her position a week later, on April 17. Her settlement included $13,933.75 (about one-fourth of her $55,735 yearly salary) and an agreement not to sue the university or specific individuals.
The Scandal That Shook College Football
A motorcycle accident on April 1, 2012 sparked a chain of events that shook the college football world and changed Jessica Dorrell’s life forever.
The motorcycle crash and media frenzy
Bobby Petrino lost control of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle that Sunday. The accident happened on a two-lane road about 20 miles southeast of Fayetteville. The 51-year-old coach suffered serious injuries – four broken ribs, a cracked vertebra, and extensive facial abrasions.
Petrino and the university claimed he was alone during the accident at first. The Petrino family released a statement through the university saying the accident “involved no other individuals”. Petrino showed up at a press conference wearing a neck brace and facial bandages. He said sun and wind made him lose control.
The Arkansas State Police accident report revealed the truth days later – Dorrell was riding with Petrino on his motorcycle. This news came just before the police report went public, suggesting they tried to control the story. A 911 call recording later showed Petrino didn’t want police contacted after the crash.
Hiring controversy and $20,000 gift
The investigation uncovered more troubling facts. Dorrell got hired as the football program’s student athlete development coordinator on March 23, 2012 – just days before the accident. She beat 158 other applicants to get the job.
Red flags popped up about the hiring process. Petrino tried to skip the university’s affirmative action policy that required job postings to stay up for 30 days before interviews. Dorrell also lacked key qualifications – she was the only candidate without an advanced degree.
The biggest revelation showed Petrino gave Dorrell $20,000 before hiring her. Athletics director Jeff Long said Dorrell admitted hiding this money under her mattress until she deposited it right before buying a new car when she started her job.
Phone records showed how deep their relationship went – 326 phone calls and 7,228 text messages between them since April 2011. Their relationship lasted about five months, from September or October until February.
Public and institutional response
The university acted fast. They put Dorrell on paid leave while Long investigated Petrino’s conduct. Long fired Petrino on April 10, 2012 – nine days after the accident.
Long spoke clearly about why:
- Petrino made “a conscious decision to mislead the public”
- He showed “a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior”
- The coach’s actions “compromised the integrity of the athletics department”
Petrino lost his $18 million buyout. Long stressed that “our expectations of character and integrity in our employees can be no less than what we expect of our students”.
The public split on this decision. National columnists called for Petrino to go, while Arkansas fans were divided between those wanting accountability and supporters asking for forgiveness. One local fan told ESPN, “I can lie to my wife, and she’d forgive me,” showing the mixed feelings about the scandal.
Dorrell resigned from her position a week after Petrino’s firing on April 17. Her settlement gave her about $14,000, and she agreed not to profit from her connection to Razorback Athletics.
Life After Arkansas: Career and Relocation
Jessica Dorrell left her position at Arkansas in April 2012. She needed to rebuild her career away from media attention. Her professional trip would take her to several states as she found her way back to athletics.
Coaching roles in South Carolina
Dorrell started her career comeback in South Carolina. She joined the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) in late 2012. This choice matched her background as she went back to fundraising—her career path before joining the Arkansas football staff. Her part-time role helped her keep connections in educational athletics.
The move to South Carolina made sense. Her fiancé Josh Morgan, a former junior athletic administrator at Arkansas, had become the strength and conditioning coach for the University of South Carolina swim team. She followed him to start fresh.
Her South Carolina career grew beyond admin work. She became a Volunteer Assistant Volleyball Coach at the University of South Carolina from 2013 to 2014. This brought her back to the sport that shaped her college years. She then worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the same university from 2014 to 2017.
Move to Texas and continued involvement in volleyball
Dorrell headed back to her home state of Texas in 2017. She became the Volleyball Coach at Weatherford Christian School through 2018. This role marked her solid return to athletic coaching and youth development.
Since 2018, Dorrell has worked with the Aledo Volleyball Club in Texas. This role brings her career full circle—she now coaches in the community where her athletic story began years ago.
Work with youth and school sports programs
Dorrell stayed connected to educational athletics and youth development after leaving Arkansas. Her SCASA work centered on youth sports development and community outreach.
Her settlement with the University of Arkansas required her not to “attempt to sell or profit from her affiliation with Razorback athletics”. All the same, she used her athletic background and educational credentials to build a new career. She focused on developing young athletes and supporting school sports programs.
The intense public spotlight faded over time. Dorrell became a dedicated volleyball coach and youth mentor. She chose to let her professional work speak louder than past controversies.
Jessica Dorrell Today: Where Is She Now?
Jessica Dorrell has built a life away from public scrutiny more than a decade after the headline-making scandal. Her experience from national notoriety to chosen anonymity shows a stark difference from today’s social media-driven world.
Current residence and professional role
Jessica Dorrell works as an Administrative Specialist at SACC (Southern Arkansas University Tech) in Camden, Arkansas as of 2025. She’s held this position since March 2014, marking an 11-year old career stability after leaving collegiate athletics. Some reliable sources suggest she has ties to Texas, which might mean she has connections to both states or has moved recently.
Dorrell found stability in a lower-profile environment after leaving her part-time role at the South Carolina Association of School Administrators where she handled “various tasks”. Her career path changed by a lot from her original plans in collegiate athletics administration.
Jessica Dorrell made an unusual choice to stay digitally invisible in a world where everyone seems to be online. She doesn’t have any verified social media accounts on major platforms. This digital absence sets her apart from most professionals her age who usually maintain at least basic online profiles.
Several accounts have claimed to represent her over the years, but none proved genuine. She seems to have chosen this digital absence, especially since any public profile would likely draw unwanted attention to past events.
Why she chose to stay private
Her steadfast dedication to privacy has become a life strategy rather than a temporary break. The intense media scrutiny during the 2012 scandal had a deep impact on her future choices – she “went from having it all, to having it all ripped away from her, including any and all privacy”.
She seems at peace with letting that chapter of her life stay in the past. The potential harassment and negative attention that could come with any public profile justify her continued absence from digital platforms. Her complete choice for privacy deserves respect as she continues building her life outside the public eye.
Marriage and Personal Life After the Scandal
Jessica Dorrell chose a different path than most public figures caught in scandals. She quietly rebuilt her life, both personally and professionally. The controversy, surprisingly, brought her relationship more stability.
Wedding to Josh Morgan
Jessica Dorrell and Josh Morgan ended up getting married on February 9, 2013, with their marriage license filed in Richland County, South Carolina. The couple’s commitment came just months after the scandal that forced them to postpone their June 2012 wedding plans. Their wedding website, which once welcomed guests to “our special day,” fell victim to internet trolls and disappeared after Petrino’s public admission.
Managing a low profile as a couple
The couple never spoke publicly about the scandal or their relationship afterward. They seemed to think over this approach carefully as they moved forward with their lives away from Arkansas. Their relationship proved strong enough to withstand intense public scrutiny—proof of their commitment during extraordinary times. A sports writer observed that Morgan knew how to find it “in his heart to stay with Dorrell” despite everything becoming public.
No public records of children or family life
Jessica Dorrell (now Jessica Morgan) and her husband now live in Texas. They’ve been married for several years, but no public information exists about whether they have children. Their careful approach suggests they made a conscious choice to keep their family matters private. Their steadfast dedication to privacy means their family details remain known only to close friends and relatives.
Jessica Dorrell’s experience took her from being a collegiate volleyball star to a scandal figure and finally to a private professional – a rare path in today’s social media age. Her story shows us a lot about reputation management and personal reinvention. The headlines that once defined her have faded as she built a life away from public scrutiny.
Her career path changed drastically after April 2012, but Dorrell showed remarkable resilience. She moved from high-profile athletics administration to coaching roles in South Carolina. She found her place as an Administrative Specialist at Southern Arkansas University Tech. Her marriage to Josh Morgan weathered a storm that could have broken other couples, which proves their relationship had deeper roots than the crisis that shook it.
The way Dorrell completely stepped away from social media platforms shows her clear rejection of digital visibility. This wasn’t just a temporary break – it became her way of life. After facing harsh public judgment, she chose privacy instead of seeking validation online.
Dorrell’s story teaches us that life goes on after public scandal. Her name once filled headlines across the country, but she rebuilt her life away from cameras and commentary. She values real connections more than public image. This former volleyball star, once at the heart of national controversy, seems at peace letting that chapter stay in her past as she moves forward on her own terms.
Here are some FAQs about where is Jessica Dorell today:
Who is Jessica Dorrell?
Jessica Dorrell is a former University of Arkansas athletics employee who was involved in a 2012 scandal with then-football coach Bobby Petrino. There are numerous pictures of jessica dorrell available online from her time working in the athletic department.
Who is Bobby Petrino’s wife?
Bobby Petrino’s wife is Becky Petrino, whom he has been married to since 1983. She is not to be confused with Jessica Dorrell, whose pictures of jessica dorrell circulated widely during the 2012 scandal.
What happened to Karl Dorrell?
Karl Dorrell is a different individual who coaches football and is not related to Jessica Dorrell. His career path is separate from the person seen in pictures of jessica dorrell from the Bobby Petrino scandal.
Where did Bobby Petrino go?
After the scandal involving Jessica Dorrell, Bobby Petrino was fired from the University of Arkansas and has since coached at several different universities. The incident brought significant public attention to pictures of jessica dorrell and their inappropriate relationship.
How did Jessika get famous?
Jessica Dorrell gained notoriety in 2012 when her affair with married football coach Bobby Petrino was revealed after a motorcycle accident. This scandal led to widespread media circulation of pictures of jessica dorrell and ultimately cost Petrino his job at Arkansas.
What happened to Louisa Durrell in real life?
Louisa Durrell was a historical figure from the Durrell family in Corfu, unrelated to Jessica Dorrell. This question about a different person has no connection to pictures of jessica dorrell from the sports scandal.
Where is Jessica Dorrell now?
Jessica Dorrell has maintained a private life since the 2012 scandal and her current whereabouts are not publicly known. She has stayed out of the public eye since the controversy that made pictures of jessica dorrell widely circulated.
