Joyner’s bowl showing at QB had schools recruiting him. That’s not supposed to happen
Dakereon Joyner’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl performance as a quarterback opened plenty of eyes — including those at other schools.
Speaking in Anderson this week as part of the Gamecock Club’s Welcome Home Tour, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said other colleges reached out to Joyner following his standout performance in USC’s 38-20 win over North Carolina.
“After he performed like he did in the (Duke’s Mayo Bowl) — schools aren’t supposed to be reaching out to to him — but he had everybody asking him to be the quarterback of their team,” Beamer said. “And he chose to stay at Carolina.”
Joyner — who spent the bulk of the 2021 season playing wide receiver — finished the Gamecocks’ throttling of the Tar Heels 9-of-9 for 160 yards and a touchdown passing. The North Charleston product also added 64 yards rushing on 10 carries.
NCAA rules technically state a school is not permitted to contact athletes at other Division I schools unless they have officially entered the transfer portal and, thus, are eligible to be recruited again.
The official rule reads: “An athletics staff member or other representative of the institution’s athletics interests shall not make contact with the student-athlete of another NCAA Division I institution, directly or indirectly, without first obtaining authorization through the notification of transfer process.”
A four-star recruit out of Fort Dorchester High School, Joyner was rated the No. 206 player in the class of 2018 in the 247Sports Composite rankings following a standout career under center.
He finished the 2021 season as the Gamecocks’ fourth-leading receiver after accruing 221 yards and a touchdown on 24 receptions in 13 games played. He’ll be a redshirt senior with the Gamecocks this season.
His bowl game performance earned him MVP honors and a name, image and likeness deal with the game’s organizers.
“What I say to other people: ‘Never give up on your dreams,’ ” Joyner said following the bowl win. “If you’ve ever got something out there that you want to get, keep going. Never give up. Adversity is going to come, but it’s how you overcome it.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Joyner’s bowl showing at QB had schools recruiting him. That’s not supposed to happen."
