USC QB Dakereon Joyner reflects on growth, sets simple goal for training camp
Many outside South Carolina’s football program want to see the moments of individual brilliance from Dakereon Joyner.
The second-year passer has that dual-threat tag. He’s explosive with the ball, a strong and powerful runner. But when he reflects on his offseason, the moments that stood out were vibrant with a different sort of energy.
“My two favorite days I’ve had here was ‘max out,’ whenever we maxed out in power cleans and max out and squat,” Joyner said in speaking about weight room milestones. “Only because I saw the energy from all my teammates, you know what I’m saying, and everybody just seeing the work we’ve all put in all offseason finally finally paying off, the summer, I think that that’s been my favorite day.”
The journey of most quarterbacks is the process of waiting for a payoff. Joyner goes into this season vying for a backup role. The player in front of him leaves after this season, and then the best chance to hold the job arrives.
There’s been talk of a special package for him, something to get his talents on the field. He brushed it off — it’s not his concern. He’ll be ready for that if it comes, but training camp is the focus for now.
In his role, he has to be patient.
“I’m a very patient, understanding guy,” Joyner said. “I don’t question God and I’m just here to be the best leader, the best person I can be everything every single day on a daily basis ... and approach every day the same and continue to improve and get better every single day.”
Coming into Year 2, he’s admittedly a different player. He says his approach is the same: No year is bigger or smaller.
He came to South Carolina a four-star recruit, a highly-touted prospect in the second full class of Will Muschamp’s staff. Three times in high school he surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground, with nearly 10,000 through the air.
As a freshman he redshirted. His total production was one completion for 1 yard and three carries for 24 yards deep in a blowout of FCS Chattanooga.
His biggest goal going into these practices centers on something simple for an easy to define reason.
“Being loose,” Joyner said. “If I’m loose I’m confident. If I’m confident I can play well.”
That, in turn, falls back to the energy and camaraderie he felt in the weight room, surrounded by teammates reaching their goals.
That lets him feel comfortable, his teammates creating the bond and the atmosphere.
“We do a good job of allowing each other to know that we have each other’s back,” Joyner said. “So whenever you know your brother’s got your back, you do anything for your brother.”
He and those teammates are set for a month of competition. He’ll be duking it out with Ryan Hilinski, working for the job behind Jake Bentley and who knows what after that. They’ll have this time together before classes, the grind of the season and all the rest that comes into play.
Muschamp said protecting the ball and avoiding foolish procedural issues will be paramount in that battle.
“We have quality guys in Ryan and Dakereon,” Muschamp said. “We have a lot of confidence in the quarterback position.”
Joyner has changed from the high school early enrollee who arrived in January of 2018. He still has some skills to get out on the field. And USC fans are still talking about him, waiting for what might be to come.
“I’ve grown a lot,” Joyner said. “Not saying I’m so big on talking about myself. I let others, whatever others perceive me to be or however others think of me. I know I know I’ve grown a lot in the past.
“But I’m just here to do my job: ball.”
