Dakereon Joyner: the ultimate Gamecock
As the final seconds ran out at the Gator Bowl, Dakereon Joyner dropped to the ground at TIAA Bank Field in exhaustion. As he sat there and watched Notre Dame stormed the field to celebrate, who knows what thoughts were racing through his mind. Perhaps for the last time suited up as a Gamecock.
Joyner arrived at South Carolina in 2018. While he’s been a member of the football program for five seasons he still has one year of eligibility remaining. He used a redshirt early in his career but has the option to play one more season thanks to a rule passed by the NCAA. “All student-athletes whose 2020-2021 season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will now get six years to compete in four full seasons of their sport in college.”
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With Joyner expecting the birth of his daughter this upcoming spring, surly they’ll be multiple factors that he’ll be taking into consideration. Factors that go beyond just football.
Regardless of what Joyner decides to do next year one thing is for certain: South Carolina’s program is in a better place today than it was before he arrived.
From being recruited as a quarterback to getting moved to wide receiver to only go on to play musical chairs between the two positions throughout his college career, Joyner has never complained. And anytime his number has been called he’s always delivered. Even if that included playing on special teams.
In a world where it’s easy to press the reset button, Joyner rode the wave and was rewarded. Not just on the field but through NIL as well.
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Following his legendary 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl performance, he accepted an NIL offer to be an ambassador of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Charlotte Sports Foundation, which operates the Duke’s Mayo Bowl partnered with Opendorse, an NIL platform. According to a press release, Joyner’s deal was worth $5,000. Carolina Home Buying Group, Summit Insurance Agency, Q-Collar and Thompson Rental and Sales, according to David Cloninger of the Post and Courier. He also started his own clothing line, cantstopcinco.com, which has been very successful and recently started working with Midas and Saxx,
“I went through so much adversity. I could’ve quit so many times,” Joyner said following being named the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl MVP. “If it wasn’t for coach (Justin) Stepp, I probably would’ve stopped playing.”
But he’s also impacted others. Joyner’s team-first mentality is one that coaches can only dream of. He’s a competitor, a leader, and most importantly a man of high-character. Joyner’s impact at USC isn’t only defined by what the box score says.
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Following South Carolina’s Gator Bowl loss, former Gamecock wide receiver Corey Rucker commented on the photo I posted of Joyner sitting on the field after the crushing loss. He wrote, “Dk made me feel like a person every single day through the hardest time of my life & he had no clue the impact he made. Everybody needs a Dk in their life❤️!!!”
I’ve reached out to several more people close to the program and the sentiments have all been the same. Having a player like Joyner in your program is one you can’t put a price tag on. If the Gator Bowl was Joyner’s last game as a Gamecock he’ll go down as one of the most beloved players of all-time. That was evident from some of the comments shared about him on social media after Friday night’s bowl game. Some that even included messages from former Gamecocks.
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And a large part of it has nothing to do with any pass he threw or touchdown he scored. Joyner will always be remembered as a Gamecock who remained focused on just one thing. Doing whatever he could to help the team.
