Joyner finally '100 percent' healthy
Dakereon Joyner may not have had the impact he expected in 2022, but there’s reason to believe the best is yet to come in his final year with the Gamecocks.
It is certainly true that several factors have played into how Joyner’s career has played out during his five seasons in Columbia. Included among them: inconsistency in how his skill set has been utilized, plus bouncing from position to position.
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That’s not it, though. Another progress-hampering element cropped up last season, one that Joyner has dealt with in the past.
“I wasn’t healthy. That’s just the God’s honest truth to it,” Joyner said during an appearance on the Garnet Trust Hour on 107.5 The Game.
The former prep standout at quarterback for Fort Dorchester dealt with multiple, independent injuries for basically the entire campaign.
It wasn’t until the Gamecocks’ contest against Vanderbilt as the one in which he finally started feeling better.
“That’s whenever I started getting my feet back and kind of get back to myself,” he said. “After that Vanderbilt game, I was able to roll and feel like myself.”
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Even then, his health was not 100 percent. It was good enough for him to make an impact for his team with some big plays, however.
“That last stretch, I was able to, not even be completely healthy, but get myself to a point where I was rehabbing every single day, taking care of my body more to get myself able to play,” Joyner explained.
Against Florida, Joyner turned in the game’s only highlight on a special teams touchdown in which he looked the most explosive he had all season. In a thrilling win over Tennessee, he scored a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Another position shift – fully diving into running back – took place this spring. Even during that successful session, Joyner was not completely up to par from a health standpoint.
With some time off, Joyner’s had a chance to rest, rehab, and recover. Now, he says he feels the best he has since 2019.
“If you know, you know. With what I had to go through this spring and how I am now, I’m 100 percent healthy now,” he said. “I kind of forgot how it feels to be healthy. Shoutout to my trainer and everyone that takes care of us. I’m back feeling like myself and pray that God continues to keep my healthy.”
