Scouting 2018 QB Dakereon Joyner

Mar 6, 2015, 4:40 PM

Joyner will be at Clemson's 2015 Junior Day Part II and I've seen a lot of folks asking about him. Here's what I have on him-

Dakereon Joyner 6'1 175 North Charleston, SC Fort Dorchester HS Class of 2018. Led his team to an 11-3 record. Earned a share of the conference title. Reports say he runs a 4.54 40 time. Is a 2014 MaxPreps Freshman All American. Currently holds offers from UNC and scar. scar offered him before he ever took a varsity snap. Wears the number 5 because he lost his father 5 years ago. All three 24/7 crystal ball projections have him going to Clemson. He visited CU for the CU vs. UNC game. Grew up a UNC fan but has said he's backed off of them. I believe he visited for the CU vs scar beat down. Food for thought- he just turned 14 prior to the start of the season.

2014 stats (in split time with senior Kobe Garrett): 43-92 529 yds 3 TDs, 2 INTs. Ran for 231 yds and a score. 4 receptions for 26 yds.

Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yyrDTiQsk8

More film: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3128860/highlights/215278386/v2

Article (video of this interview is below): NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) – This week's Athlete of the Week already has a scholarship offer from South Carolina before ever playing a single down of varsity football.

Fort Dorchester has plenty of current professionals who started as Patriots, many of whom were coached by Steve Laprad.

But 14-year-old Dakereon Joyner could be better than all of them. It’s a path still untraveled for the teen.

“We've had a lot of good athletes, been fortunate. But I've never had one this mature who handles his business like this. He loves the game, loves playing, practicing. He doesn't mind working hard. The biggest thing for him is how he handles the next four years,” Laprad said.
Without ever stepping out onto the field, he’s already pulled in an offer from Steve Spurrier.

“I had just turned 14. The first thing I did was thank God, without Him I can't do anything, then I thanked my Mom and my sister,” said Joyner.

Spurrier saw what Laprad saw in Joyner.
“You get kids, we coaches call it the ‘it factor.’ Some just have it. I don't know where it comes from. He's got about six helpings of it,” Laprad said.

But the thing that pushes a boy to play like a man, a forced maturity, is the loss of his father five years ago.

The number 5 on his back is a reminder of what pushes his heart.
“It helps me, the stuff my dad did in high school. I want to do the same things. I want to accomplish his goals and beat his records,” Joyner said.

“I can tell it's a motivating factor for him. His mother makes sure he does the right things. She's tough; it's good. Very educated, great job. She's a great role model. I see it out here,” Laprad said. “He has that extra gear. If that's from his dad, wow. I think it tells you what kind of kid he is.”

On the field, he stands out because of how he carries the football. Off the field, the attention is on how he carries himself.

“Every morning, he comes in and shakes every coach's hand. Every morning. He's usually the first one on the field. That's the difference. Everybody knows how good he is, but it's the way he handles it,” Laprad said.

The young man with a plan is humbly handling his business with a smile, knowing he has a long way to go.

“I have four years to think about it. I have many ideas. I’m looking at USC, but I have four years to think about it,” Joyner said.

But first, he still has to take the field for that first Friday night under the lights.

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/26218577/athlete-of-the-week-fort-dorchesters-dakereon-joyner

Video of this interview: http://www.wset.com/Clip/10446313/athlete-of-the-week-fort-dorchester39s-dakereon-joyner

More film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFr5RsMvUYw
An article from the C&P: Fort Dorchester's Dakereon Joyner: Better than Carlos Dunlap, Robert Quinn and Byron Maxwell?

When it's all said and done, freshman quarterback Dakereon Joyner will be the best player to ever put on a pair of shoulder pads at Fort Dorchester High School. At least that's the opinion of Patriots head coach Steve LaPrad. Considering the number of talented players to pass through Fort Dorchester, that's a pretty bold statement from the coach.

Three of LaPrad's former players currently are starters on NFL teams - Cincinnati defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap, St. Louis defensive lineman Robert Quinn and Seattle defensive back Byron Maxwell. Dunlap was the MVP of Florida's win over Oklahoma in the 2009 BCS national championship game. Quinn was second in the NFL in sacks last season with 19 and signed a $65.6 million contract over the summer, and Maxwell started in the Seahawks' secondary during last year's Super Bowl run.
"Carlos, Robert and Byron were all great players, great athletes and have gone on to have great careers, but I believe that Dakereon will be the best we've ever had here," LaPrad said.

It's not just Joyner's freakish athletic ability that makes LaPrad believe in his young freshman quarterback, it's his mental approach to the game.

"Dakereon is mature beyond his years," LaPrad said. "He's a great student in the classroom and he's got a very high football IQ. He studies the game. The difference between Dakereon and those guys is his ability to process information and the way he deals with different situations.
"Every time he steps on the field, he learns something new and when he makes a mistake, he doesn't make it a second time. At 14, that's special."

LaPrad said he first noticed Joyner during an impromptu workout with middle school players two years ago. An assistant coach told LaPrad that Joyner, then 12, had just run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. LaPrad couldn't believe it, thinking the coach had started the stopwatch late. Joyner ran it again, this time finishing in 4.48 seconds.

"The middle school coach said he didn't want to start Dakereon at quarterback because he wouldn't stay in the pocket. I told him I didn't want him staying in the pocket."

As an eighth-grader, Joyner skipped over the B team and played for the Patriots' junior varsity, normally reserved for ninth- and 10th-graders. He averaged nearly 200 yards of total offense a game.
"Here's an eighth-grader playing Class AAAA football at junior varsity level and in most games, he was the best player on the field," LaPrad said. Over the summer, LaPrad took Joyner to a passing camp at South Carolina. After just a handful of throws, Joyner had a scholarship offer from the Gamecocks.
"It didn't take long for South Carolina's coaching staff to realize that Dakereon was a player," LaPrad said.

Last weekend, Joyner attended the Clemson-North Carolina game and had a pre-game meal with Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris.

"I gotta believe that every school in the country will offer him before he's done," LaPrad said.
The attention doesn't seem to faze Joyner. "I don't think about it," Joyner said. "If you start to believe what everyone is telling you, then you're in trouble. Each day I just want to work hard, grind it out and get better."

Working Joyner into the Patriots' offense was a problem for the coaches early this season. Fort Dorchester already had an established quarterback in senior Kobe Garret, but LaPrad knew he had to get his talented freshman more involved in the Patriots' offense.

Joyner played most of the first five games at wide receiver, catching just four passes.
After losing to Goose Creek, 17-0, LaPrad decided it was time to put Joyner at quarterback and have Garrett become more of a running back/slot back dual threat.

"Kobe is the leader of our football team and he's our best runner," LaPrad said. "I think this makes us a better offensive team and Kobe has been great about the switch. He's going to play in college and they want him as a slot receiver, so this is a good change for him."
Joyner didn't know he was starting for the first time until just before kickoff against Wando last Friday night.

"If I had known all week I probably would have been nervous, so I'm glad they didn't tell me until that night," Joyner said.

Joyner had nearly 200 yards of total offense and threw two TD passes in the Patriots' 24-0 win over Wando.

"Wando threw a lot of different looks at him, a lot of different coverages and he handled it all really well," LaPrad said. "Don't get me wrong, there's still a whole lot of room for improvement, but for his first start he acted like a senior who'd been starting for the last four years."

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20141002/PC20/141009818

Hoops film, FWIW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THIwE36srJQ

More reads: You think smooth when watching Dakereon Joyner. He is a freshman. He is 14 years old. He is just a couple of games into his high school football career. He is good.
Joyner glides down the field and he has a burst when he gets the ball at this younf age. He has grown up playing a lot of quarterback, but will likely be recruited as a wide receiver. One school has seen enough to offer him a scholarship.

"I went to camps at South Carolina and N.C. State over the summer and one day after camping at USC, they offered me a scholarship," said Joyner. "Coach Spurrier called my coach when we were on our way to a 7-on-7 and offered me.

"After telling my coach that, I talked to Coach Spurrier and he just told me to stay humble and not to get the big head. It was exciting and I was shocked by the offer. It almost brought me to tears."
Clemson was at his school Friday afternoon, then at his game Friday night, so the Tigers have their eye on the 6-foot-1, 170 pound freshman. Alabama recently called his coach to check on him too. Joyner traveled from his home in Charleston, S.C. to Columbia Saturday to see a great game between Georgia and South Carolina. He liked what he saw.

"It was my first South Carolina game. It was exciting and I liked the way they treated me. I actually felt like I was on the team when I was in the locker room after the game. After the game, Joyner spoke with current Gamecocks Mike Davis and Dylan Thompson as well as coaches, Steve Spurrier, Jr. and Everette Sands. He has high interest in the Gamecocks.

"I like South Carolina, Clemson, and Georgia," said Joyner. "I grew up a fan of North Carolina, but my interest is not the same now as it was in them.

"I like the three schools that I like right now because they are close to home. I do not want to go far to college."

The early offer from the Gamecocks is Joyner's first, but it will not be his last. Schools are already attracted to the 14-year old playmaker.

"It is my style of play [that schools like]. I am a very cool player, I set the tone, and I am team player. I also make guys miss and out-smart linebackers and defensive backs when I have the ball in my hands." http://recruiting.scout.com/story/1451036-dakereon-joyner-s-a-name-to-know

Article on still grasping the game: ...Joyner, who took over as the Patriots starting quarterback a month ago, had flashes of brilliance against Colleton County, but also had moments when he looked like a 14-year-old kid making his fourth career start.

Joyner completed six of 18 passes for 134 yards, but missed several wide open receivers throughout the game. Joyner took over for Garrett, who had been a two-year starter for the Patriots.
"Kobe is our best running back we've got and Dakereon is our best passer," said Fort Dorchester coach Steve LaPrad. "We needed to get them both of them on the field, and having Dakereon at quarterback seemed like the best way to do it."

With Joyner struggling with his accuracy Friday night, Garrett took over at quarterback in the third quarter and immediately led the Patriots on two scoring drives.

"Kobe is still our guy, he's the leader of this team and I thought putting him back there might settle things down," LaPrad said. "Kobe is a tremendous playmaker and we need to get the ball in his hands as much as possible."

Garrett capped an eight-play, 59-yard drive with a three-yard TD on the Patriots' opening possession of the third quarter.

After a Raquan Simmons' 52-yard punt return for a TD, Garrett found Diondre Champaigne for a 25-yard TD pass to put the Patriots up 29-0 late in the third quarter. Garrett rushed the ball 10 times for 55 yards and completed three of four passes for 48 yards and caught two passes for 29 yards.
"Dakereon is a great quarterback and he's going to be really good over the next three years," Garrett said. "Coach put me back at quarterback to kind of settle things down and get everyone back on the same page."

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20141017/PC20/141019356

Game by game film: http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/dakereon-joyner/I7huwSSBEeS00gAmVebEWg/default.htm

More film: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3128860/dakereon-joyner

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Scouting 2018 QB Dakereon Joyner

I prefer his brother, Daroadkill***

Re: Scouting 2018 QB Dakereon Joyner

You got anything else on him?***

Re: You got anything else on him?***

Re: Scouting 2018 QB Dakereon Joyner

Re: Scouting 2018 QB Dakereon Joyner

Any info on if/when Clemson will offer?***

Clemson lock***

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