Dakereon Joyner

* 2023 Rex Enright Team Captain
* 2023 Above All Else Award
* 2023 Community Service Award
* 2023 SEC Community Service Team
* 2023 Spring co-Offense Most Improved Award
* 2022 Above All Else Award
* 2021 All-Bowl Team (Associated Press)
* 2021 Joe Morrison Co-Offensive Player of the Spring
* 2021 Jim Carlen Special Teams Player of the Spring
* 2021 Harold White GPA Award – Offense
* 2019 Strength & Conditioning Award
* 2019 Unselfish Teammate Award

Versatile performer who spent six seasons with the Garnet & Black… signed as a quarterback, converted to wide receiver then transitioned to running back for his final season… also used as a kick returner and on special teams cover units… was the MVP of the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl as a quarterback… appeared in 55 games with 14 starts… threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 445 yards and nine scores, caught 66 passes for 559 yards and returned kicks for an additional 289 yards… completed his last 12 pass attempts for 261 yards and two scores.

2023 (Super Senior)
Transitioned to running back in the spring due to depth issues in the room and emerged as the top back entering the fall… shared the Most Improved Award for the offense in the spring with O’Mega Blake… named a Rex Enright Team Captain following the season… also recognized with the Community Service Award, the Above All Else Award and named to the SEC’s Community Service Team… was the Gamecocks’ nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy and the Premier Players’ Award for his efforts on and off the field… played in 10 contests, starting the first four… rushed 50 times for 120 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns… added 21 receptions for 117 yards and four kick returns for 64 yards… 38 of his 50 carries and 99 of his 123 rushing yards came in the first four contests… scored a touchdown in each of those four games… had a season-high 12 carries in the opener against North Carolina and a season-high 42 rushing yards against Furman… also caught five passes versus UNC and four against the Paladins… missed two games late in the season due to injury.

2022 (Redshirt Senior)
Fifth-year player who saw action as a wide receiver, quarterback and on special teams… appeared in all 13 games… Caught eight passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, rushed 12 times for 56 yards and two scores, completed all three of his pass attempts for 101 yards and a touchdown and returned one kickoff for 12 yards… became the first Gamecock since Deebo Samuel in 2016 to rush for a touchdown, pass for a touchdown and catch a touchdown pass in a season… completed a 68-yard touchdown strike to Antwane Wells, Jr. In the win over Vanderbilt… hauled in a 48-yard touchdown pass from Kai Kroeger at Florida, the longest reception of his career… finished that contest with two catches for a career-high 73 yards… rushed six times for 21 yards with a career-best two TDs, completed one pass for 15 yards and hauled in two catches for 13 yards against Tennessee… made his lone start of the season in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Notre Dame… presented with the Above All Else Award at the team’s post-season banquet… represented the Gamecocks at the SEC Media Days in July.

2021 (Redshirt Junior)
Played in all 13 games, making seven starts… played in all 12 games of the regular season at wide receiver, making six starts, then started at quarterback in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over North Carolina… ranked third on the team with 24 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown… rushed 18 times for 77 yards and returned a pair of kickoffs for 48 yards… caught five passes in the win at East Carolina, including a touchdown grab on a 13-yard reception that tied the game late in the third quarter… hauled in four passes for a season-high 40 yards at Tennessee… also notched four receptions at Georgia… named the MVP of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl after completing all nine of his pass attempts for 160 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown strike on the first series of the game, and ran 10 times for 64 yards… named to the A.P. All-Bowl Team… served as a team captain in four games: East Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Auburn… named the 2021 Joe Morrison Co-Offensive Player of the Spring, the 2021 Jim Carlen Special Teams Player of the Spring and the 2021 Harold White GPA Award winner for the offense at the Garnet & Black Spring Game.

2020 (Redshirt Sophomore)
Played in all 10 games making two starts… caught seven passes for 55 yards and a touchdown… also rushed twice for 61 yards and a score… returned seven kicks for 165 yards, a 23.6-yard average… made his first career start at wide receiver in the season-opener versus Tennessee… took a reverse 47 yards to paydirt in the win at Vanderbilt… had one carry for 14 yards and caught his first pass against Auburn… led the team with a career-high four catches for 43 yards at Kentucky, including a career-long 30-yard TD reception… also totaled 75 yards on two kick returns, including a career-long 52-yarder, against the Wildcats.

2019 (Redshirt Freshman)
Redshirt freshman who began the season as the No. 3 quarterback, moved to wide receiver, returned to quarterback on a full-time basis following a season-ending injury to Jake Bentley, then split time between quarterback and wide receiver… limited to eight games in part due to injury… was 16-of-28 passing for 168 yards, rushed 29 times for 107 yards and a TD, and had six receptions for 46 yards… saw his first extended action at quarterback at Missouri, completing 6-of-11 passes for 89 yards… was not available for the Kentucky game with a hamstring injury… despite being less than 100 percent, was forced into the Georgia game after Ryan Hilinski was injured and went 6-for-12 for 39 yards and rushed six times for 28 yards in the upset win… sat out the next two games while allowing the hamstring to heal, before returning against Vanderbilt… played quarterback and wide receiver against both App State and Texas A&M… earned the coaches’ Strength & Conditioning Award and the Unselfish Teammate Award for Offense from his peers following the season.

2018 (Freshman)
True freshman quarterback who primarily worked with the scout team while taking a redshirt… saw action against Chattanooga… completed 1-of-2 passes for 1 yard and rushed three times for 24 yards.

HIGH SCHOOL
Highly-decorated prospect from Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston, S.C… graduated in December 2017… named the state’s “Mr. Football” after his 2017 season, a year that saw him lead the Patriots to a 13-1 record and a berth in the Class 5A Lower State Championship game… earned second-team All-USA South Carolina football team accolades as selected by USA TODAY as a senior… finished just shy of 10,000 yards passing for his career… accounted for over 3,400 yards of offense and 52 total touchdowns as a senior… had a career record of 40-3 as a starter… selected to the Offense Defense All-American Bowl and the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas… participated in the Elite 11 Finals camp… named the 2016 South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year… as a junior, he passed for 3,642 yards with 44 touchdowns and rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 scores… Fort Dorchester won its first-ever state championship during his sophomore season in 2015… that season, he threw for 3,202 yards with 33 touchdowns, to go along with 1,058 yards rushing and 19 TDs… in eight games as a freshman, he passed for 532 yards and rushed for 231 yards… coached by Steve LaPrad… ranked as the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback and the 202nd overall prospect in the country according to 247’s national composite rankings… Rivals ranked him as the third-best player in the state, the 10th-best dual-threat quarterback in the country and No. 199 overall… rated No. 183 on the ESPN300 list and No. 176 on the PrepStar 300 list.

PERSONAL
Dakereon Alquan Joyner was born May 24, 2000… earned a degree in sport and entertainment management… served an internship in the spring of 2020 with the Charleston County government office and with the Charleston County Parks and Recreation office.