He was early to suggest Dakereon Joyner change positions. What he thinks now
Back when South Carolina’s Dakereon Joyner had just finished his first spring practice, Tom Luginbill already had him pegged as a candidate to move to another position.
The ESPN recruiting analyst and former XFL coach said in 2018 — after watching the Gamecocks go through a workout — that Joyner had the ability to be special at another position. Joyner started dabbling at wide receiver early last season, and he’ll be at the position full time starting this spring.
So what does Luginbill think about it these days?
“It gives them another weapon,” Luginbill told The State earlier this month. “It gives them another space player. It gives them somebody that can take the 5-yard out or the 3- to 4-yard slant and turn it into a 40-yard gain. And you need those types of players. Those are the things that Deebo Samuel could do.”
Luginbill sees Joyner as perhaps a slot receiver but one who could be used all over, in Wildcat formations or on jet sweeps. He described the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder as the sort of playmaker defenses would have to account for whenever the offense broke the huddle.
Joyner was a four-star recruit and won Mr. Football at North Charleston’s Fort Dorchester High School. He redshirted in his first season and then lost the backup quarterback battle to Ryan Hilinski last summer.
He went through an unusual 2019, moving to receiver and then splitting time between both positions after Jake Bentley’s season-ending injury. Injuries were an issue — Joyner appeared in eight of USC’s 12 games.
There was value in having him go through the process of trying to be a passer, Luginbill said.
“It’s very important to note that the South Carolina staff gave the young man every opportunity to be the quarterback, become the quarterback, with the knowledge that, ‘Hey, you’re a really good athlete, you’re a dynamic football player, and we can be better on offense by getting the ball in your hands,’” Luginbill said. “’But it’s tough to do that, and it’s tough to get you on the field, if you want to remain at quarterback.’ So I give the staff and the kid a lot of credit for at least allowing that process to work itself through.”
The Gamecocks’ quarterback room features a pair of Elite 11 passers in Hilinski, who started 11 games last season, and incoming freshman Luke Doty. The team also added veteran Collin Hill, new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s QB at Colorado State. Hill is out for the spring, and Jay Urich, who also split time between QB and receiver last season, will be primarily with the passers this spring.
Joyner will have a good opportunity for snaps if he plays well. The Gamecocks only have Shi Smith back as an established receiver. Players such as OrTre Smith, Josh Vann and Xavier Legette have all played decent-sized roles at points but have been inconsistent as producers.
Last season, Joyner threw for 168 yards, ran for 107 yards and caught six passes for 46 yards.
“I think it was the smart move on behalf of the kid,” Luginbill said. “I think you’re going to find that it was the right move to get him the football and it’s going to get him on the field.”
