Tucson native Jamarye Joiner grateful to reunite with RichRod at Jacksonville State

Week “Zero” of the college football slate Saturday will be chock-full of former Arizona Wildcats and Tucson natives. One of them checks both boxes: Jamarye Joiner.

The former UA wide receiver and Cienega High School product, who transferred from Arizona after last season, enters his final collegiate season as a redshirt senior at Jacksonville State. JSU hosts UTEP — the Miners are the Wildcats’ Week 3 opponent — Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Jacksonville State’s head coach is former UA boss Rich Rodriguez, now in his second season overseeing the Gamecocks.

UMass, coached by former Arizona defensive coordinator Don Brown, garnered numerous ex-Wildcats from the transfer portal this past offseason, including linebacker Jerry Roberts, defensive lineman JB Brown, cornerback Isaiah Rutherford, wide receiver Anthony Simpson, running back Jalen John, defensive lineman Jermaine Wiggins, linebacker Tyler Martin and linebacker RJ Edwards. The Minutecats — err, Minutemen — face New Mexico State on Saturday at 4 p.m.; the Aggies have former UA defensive tackle Dion Wilson and ex-Salpointe Catholic running back Dailan Goodman.

Saturday will mark Jacksonville State’s first game as an FBS program after spending the previous 27 seasons at the FCS level; JSU is the newest member of Conference USA. While playing in the FBS makes it a historic season for the Gamecocks, for Joiner, “it’s nothing new,” he said.

“For the campus, it’s very exciting,” Joiner said. “Everyone on campus is super stoked. There’s stuff everywhere on campus, and it’s really a college football town — a one-road town, so there’s probably, like, three or four stoplights in Jacksonville, and it takes about five minutes to get from one side of town to the other. It’s really a true college town.

“It’s going to shut down (the town) and hopefully we can pack the stadium out and have a good introduction to Conference USA, because everyone is packed and excited for the opportunity the university has.”

Joiner was recruited by Rodriguez as a quarterback for Arizona’s 2018 recruiting class, but the two never worked together after the UA head coach was fired following the 2017 season. Joiner still signed with the Wildcats under then-head coach Kevin Sumlin but switched to wide receiver after his first season. Under current Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, Joiner was used as a “Wildcat” quarterback during the 1-11 season in 2021.

As a receiver, Joiner amassed 711 yards and six touchdowns over four years. Along the way, Joiner suffered multiple “Jones fractures” in his left foot, which required surgery and sidelined him for several months.

Now spending his last year of eligibility at Jacksonville State, “I love it,” Joiner said.

“I love the fact that I got to get back with RichRod and actually play with him other than just committing to him out of high school and not have the opportunity,” he added. “I feel very blessed to be in this situation with Jacksonville State going up to Conference USA, and this is a pivotal season for them and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Joiner joined “Spears and Ali” on ESPN Tucson earlier this week to reflect on his time at Arizona and discuss his new chapter at Jacksonville State. Here’s what he shared:

How would you summarize the recruiting process from the time you entered the transfer portal to the moment you signed with JSU?

A: “The recruiting process was very simple for me. I knew where I wanted to go, I knew who I wanted to be around for my last year, and it was about making that happen.”

Jacksonville State offensive coordinator Rod Smith was the UA quarterbacks coach under Rodriguez and recruited you out of high school; how would you describe the evolution of your relationship with him?

A: “Coming off my first game my junior season (at Cienega), after going through a lot of trial and error and stuff I was going through when I was younger, he offered that Saturday morning. From there, our relationship just took off because it showed how true he was to me no matter what happened.

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“He believed in me, so that loyalty he showed me said everything I needed to know about him. Our relationship is phenomenal and I love everyone on this stuff.”

Did you ever consider playing quarterback again?

A: “There were conversations, but it was more of ‘What do I really want to do? Do I want to go back to quarterback and be a quarterback for my last year or stick to receiver? Stick to receiver, hone in on your craft and perfect it.’ If we have different opportunities that’ll arise, then I’ll be the guy for that.”

Between multiple coaching changes, switching positions, NIL, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 20-game losing streak and the era of the transfer portal, how do you look back on everything you’ve endured in college?

A: “The story I would tell anybody younger than me or my younger self is to be comfortable with adversity because adversity can strike you at any time; how you react is your outcome. After my first foot injury, I could’ve gave up and been like, ‘I’m never going to be the same athlete again and just quit right there.

“The doctor told me if I broke my foot again for the third time, then I won’t be able to play football anymore. I attacked that third time like I was never going to walk again. It really helped me push through and get to the other side. The other side meaning being able to play again, being able to run routes and kind of get back to my 100% self again. Right now, I feel great, and it’s really about controlling your mind. Your mind is in control of everything when it comes to yourself. Being able to control what I can control helped me get over that hump dealing with adversity. It’s just amazing how God works and how things worked out.

“It’s just about controlling your mind and using adversity as fuel for you.”

Considering the aforementioned adversity, what was the lowest moment for you at the UA?

A: “The lowest moment for me was probably sitting in the training room and hearing the doctors say, ‘If you break your foot again, you won’t be able to play football again.’ I broke it again, and during that time, I was really thinking, ‘I’m really never going to play football again.’ It wasn’t just the doctor saying that to mess with my head, he was saying that because it’s known that if you break your foot three times as a Jones fracture, the likelihood of returning isn’t high.

“That was the lowest point for me, just being able to push through that. Having surrounding cast members (helped). I had (former Arizona defensive tackle) Kyon Barrs with me during the whole process when he had his (foot) surgery on the same day (as mine). We were really just grinding and trying to get 1% better every day. I think that kind of helped me get through that.”

How mentally taxing was that for you?

A: “It was very mentally taxing, and that’s kind of what makes college, college, in a sense. Stuff like (my injury), coaches being fired and then bringing in a new coaching staff, learning different things, losing, that all brings players and coaches and teammates together.

“I can gladly say those people who were at the school with me, my teammates and the friendships I’ve made are lifelong friendships, and those friends are going to be in my wedding and stuff like that.

“Those are things you can’t beat despite all the hardships we had.”