Dakereon Joyner practice observations from Wednesday’s Belk Bowl workout
An open-to-the-public South Carolina football practice on Monday meant a chance to see four-star freshman quarterback Dakereon Joyner in extended work. He got in a little against Chattanooga, but outside that, one would have to go all the way back to the spring game for that.
Joyner was primarily working with the scout team, but that meant more than a few reps in a team setting of sorts. What stood out:
▪ At different times, he played quarterback, wide receiver and running back, depending on what the play required. He also did some work on jet sweeps, a key element of the Virginia attack.
▪ Just on his throws, there seems to still be work to be done. His ball doesn’t have a tight spiral, which means some wobble. Some passes were on target, but there was also at least one big overthrow and a dump-off pass that hit the running back in the thighs.
▪ He was often being asked to mimic Cavaliers quarterback Bryce Perkins, a dynamic talent with the ball on his hands in his own right. That meant a lot of work running tricky misdirection option plays or moving one way and then spinning or cutting back. There was some talk of a special offensive package for him this season, but that never came together.
The last time he spoke publicly about Joyner, Will Muschamp praised his progress in command of the offense and anticipation.
▪ Since this was still an “in-season” type practice, he didn’t get any work running South Carolina’s schemes, as Jake Bentley and senior backup Michael Scarnecchia took most of those reps.
Joyner will go into next season, assuming Bentley returns, fighting for the backup spot with Jay Urich and true freshman Ryan Hilinski. Joyner passed Urich on the depth chart during the season.
There had been chatter during the offseason Joyner’s future might not be a quarterback, namely from ESPN analyst and former coach Tom Luginbill. Every time he’s been asked, Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp has said Joyner remains a passer.
Joyner came to Columbia as a four-star prospect and Mr. Football winner. He led Fort Dorchester to a state title and a 40-3 record. As a senior, he threw for 2,376 yards and 31 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran 149 times for 980 yards and 18 touchdowns.