Gamecocks' O-line eager to make Dakereon Joyner a success at running back

COLUMBIA — The reasons for the switch made sense, and South Carolina’s coaches were very sure that the player would buy in simply because he was asked. Dakereon Joyner didn’t need much convincing to become a Gamecocks running back — and looking at spring ball, the offseason and the very early start of preseason, he is in line to be the Gamecocks’ No. 1 running back — because Dakereon Joyner has always done what’s best for the team.
That nobility has yielded a bonus.
All of Joyner’s teammates, and specifically, the offensive linemen charged with opening holes for him as he attempts to finish his six-year career as one of the most versatile athletes in program history, see how selfless he is. They know they hold a hinge of the 2023 season in their collective hands.
If Joyner, and thus the Gamecocks, can run the ball effectively, they can stay on the positive trajectory they've established under coach Shane Beamer. If USC can’t run the ball, those chances drastically drop.
The men in front of Joyner don’t want to let the team down, nor a player who has given so much of himself to that team over the past five years.
“He’s in his sixth year, and he’s had a good time here, but he hasn’t had the career he thought he was going to have,” rumbled redshirt junior Trai Jones. “So I feel like it’s going to be very special for us to help him get to the next level.”
Those prospects glimmer. Surely an athlete who plays quarterback, receiver, kick returner and now running back can find a place in professional football. Don’t think that’s not on the mind of Joyner, who welcomed a daughter in February.
He gained 15 pounds for his new role. He looks more imposing. Every person packed into every stadium he enters will know he’s going to give everything he has to that role.
The players in front of him are vowing to do the same. It’s a sense of duty: “Look what he’s done. Can’t we do the same?”
“So for our guys, anybody, we want them to do the best they can. Especially for DK, because he’s always held a leadership role. I came here and he was always the guy you look up to, the guy doing positive, the guy in no trouble,” center Vershon Lee said. “If he gets tackled, we’re going to pick him up off the ground, make sure his jersey’s clean and everything. That’s a guy that we really take pride in.”
Some thought this step should have been taken the day Joyner left Fort Dorchester High School after a sterling career, toting a state championship ring and the state’s “Mr. Football” award with him to Columbia. But the then-coaches and Joyner himself were adamant that he came to USC to play quarterback, and that’s where he stayed through scout-team work during his redshirted first season.
Dakereon Joyner
The Gamecocks' offensive line has taken on a personal challenge this season. They have vowed to protect running back Dakereon Joyner as much as possible so he can get home to his daughter. File/USC Athletics
The switch in 2019, to receiver after Joyner took a day to think about his future when he lost the backup quarterback spot to Ryan Hilinski, could have featured a move to running back, but the Gamecocks were set with Rico Dowdle, A.J. Turner, Mon Denson and transfer Tavien Feaster.
And Joyner would have had to move back to QB anyway, as he did from receiver, when Jake Bentley suffered a season-ending injury in the first game, Hilinski was elevated to starter and Joyner became No. 2.
In 2020, Joyner was firmly entrenched at receiver, even when starting running back MarShawn Lloyd was lost for the season in the first week of practice. Kevin Harris took over and posted a 1,000-yard season.
By then Joyner was making an impact at wideout, and of course ended his 2021 season with an MVP performance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl — at quarterback. The move to running back now is necessary, but also seems like the last untapped well.
“The thing I miss is I don’t have him in my room every day,” said a rueful receivers coach Justin Stepp. “Just the kind of kid he is, I miss that more than anything.”
This wasn’t similar to Zeb Noland's case, when the graduate assistant had an extra year of eligibility and was asked to play QB. The coaches knew they were facing depth issues at running back and made the Joyner call during the spring.
Joyner nodded when asked. The staff knew it would take more than that decision to succeed as a rebuilt offensive line was trying to get itself together.
“I’m relatively new here, but I’ve heard about his journey, coming here as a quarterback and moving to receiver, getting bumped all around. You commend a guy like that who played different positions and continued to have a positive mindset and continued to help the team,” said Yale transfer Nick Gargiulo. “He’s done an excellent job with the transition and he’s got a lot of potential there.”
Joyner’s individual talent, desire and the trust placed in him by the coaches counts for a lot. What outweighs that is his line’s ability to give him that first crease. Proof won’t come until the season-opener, but they’ve all said they’re ready.
The picture was taken during the team’s media day, six of the Gamecocks’ linemen standing behind a sitting Joyner, with five-month-old Kahlani Noelle in his lap. The message was clear.