Dakereon Joyner is ready to go, should be available for Vanderbilt game
The first hint as to South Carolina quarterback Dakereon Joyner’s health: He was made available for interviews Tuesday.
Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp rarely sends out players with some notable ailment. Yet there was Joyner, joking he hadn’t missed the bouquet of microphones all that much.
And the second-year passer gave an update on his nagging hamstring issues.
“I feel really good,” Joyner said. “I think the best I’ve felt in a while.”
So how does he feel about his prospects of playing this week?
“I think I’m ready to go now,” Joyner said.
He went unmentioned in Muschamp’s weekly injury update, and he’s come through a strange few weeks. His hamstring flared up and held him out of Kentucky week and the bye week. While limited, he came in against Georgia and helped the Gamecocks hold the line in a big upset, but he’s been out the past two weeks.
After the Tennessee game, the coach explained Joyner’s absence.
““He is healthy enough to play,” Muschamp siad. “But we need to get him totally healthy. We do not feel he is to that point. He is a guy that needs to be able to protect himself when he goes on the field.”
It’s been a strange few months for the former four-star recruit out of Fort Dorchester High School.
He lost a battle for the backup spot to Ryan Hilinski, and then decided not to transfer and instead stick out the season. He helped at wide receiver early on, but after Jake Bentley got hurt, he started spending more time at quarterback.
In a mixture of change-of-pace work, relief and garbage time, he’s thrown fro 128 yards, run for 77 and caught four passes for 29 yards.
He said this week he plans to help out any way he can. Does that mean a little receiver, or just playing as backup quarterback?
“We’ll see,” Joyner said.
Injury update
Muschamp also reaffirmed some of the injury news he delivered late last week and after the Tennessee game. Tailback Rico Dowdle, offensive tackle Dylan Wonnum, linebacker Damani Staley and running back A.J. Turner are still out.
Left tackle Sadarius Hutcherson and linebacker Ernest Jones will play.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 1:46 PM.
