Dakereon Joyner's picks for surprise players of the year
South Carolina veteran multi-positional athlete Dakereon Joyner must have seen the same things his coaches saw throughout the Gamecocks’ 15 spring practices.
Asked during his appearance on the Garnet Trust Hour on 107.5 The Game to name a player who would surprise fans this year, Joyner gave an interesting answer: Spencer Rattler.
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Now, obviously, Rattler being the Gamecocks’ best player on offense this season wouldn’t be a surprise to, well, anyone.
But Joyner’s point was similar to one that senior defensive back Marcellas Dial made in a Garnet Trust interview: Rattler really did look that much better this spring than last when the former Oklahoma transfer first arrived in Columbia.
“We see it every single day because we work with him but me I think you see he won the MVP for the spring,” Joyner said. “Being with him every single day, he’s transitioned big time. He’s playing more confidently, playing with a little bit more swag. All his attributes are starting to go up even more and more and more and I love to see it because you started to see it towards the end of last year, him really starting to get into his groove and really starting to play like himself. And I believe coach — we call him D-Lo — Coach Loggains allowing Spencer to play like himself, allowing him to relax, take control of the offense, kind of be him.”
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The South Carolina coaching staff awarded Rattler with the offensive MVP award for his play throughout the spring, while junior defensive tackle T.J. Sanders earned MVP honors on the defensive side of the ball.
Joyner, who spent almost all of spring at the running back position, also offered high praise for the emerging defensive lineman.
“T.J, Sanders, I don’t think nobody is talking about him right now, but boy, boy, boy, I dealt with him every single day,” Joyner said. “I think T.J. Sanders is gonna surprise a lot of people, man. His playing style, his aggressiveness, how good he is, how much he’s developed over the last couple of months, but T.J. Sanders is a name that no one’s talking about right now.”
