Ex-Wildcat Jamarye Joiner reunites with RichRod, transfers to Jacksonville State

Over six years since he first committed to Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, Jamarye Joiner is pledging to RichRod again.

Joiner, a Tucson native and wide receiver who entered the transfer portal following the 2022 season, announced on Twitter Tuesday morning that he’s committed to Jacksonville State.

Rodriguez is the Gamecocks’ head coach; former Arizona quarterbacks coach Rod Smith is JSU’s offensive coordinator.

(tncms-inline)1612844986499993601[0](/tncms-inline)

Joiner, a 6-1, 220-pound Cienega High School product, was recruited by the Rodriguez regime to play quarterback for the Wildcats. Rodriguez’s successor, Kevin Sumlin, converted Joiner to wide receiver.

Joiner had a breakout season in 2019, leading the Wildcats with 552 receiving yards and five touchdowns. In the second half of Joiner’s career at the UA, he endured multiple surgeries for a Jones fracture in his left foot.

When Arizona dealt with quarterback issues during the 2021 season, Joiner took snaps as a “Wildcat” quarterback. That role dried up in 2022. The addition of star receivers Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillan, and the development of Dorian Singer, meant Joiner didn’t see much action on offense and appeared mostly on special teams as a returner. Joiner finished his Arizona career with 50 catches for 711 yards and six touchdowns before entering the transfer portal last month.

Rodriguez runs a system that’s conducive to Joiner’s dual-threat QB skills should Rodriguez choose to deploy him in that role. One of the other quarterbacks on JSU’s roster is Polo Solomon, the younger brother of former UA quarterback Anu Solomon, who started under Rodriguez from 2014-16. Former UA running back Bam Smith also has transferred to Jacksonville State.

Since Rodriguez was fired at Arizona following the 2017 season, he held offensive coordinator roles at Ole Miss and Louisiana-Monroe before being hired as Jacksonville State’s head coach in 2021. In its last season at the FCS level, Jacksonville State went 9-2 under Rodriguez.

Jacksonville State will play its first season in FBS as a Conference USA member in 2023. The Gamecocks open the season Aug. 26 vs. UTEP.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Ex-Cats sign NFL deals

Two former Arizona Wildcats have signed reserve/future contracts with NFL teams.

Receiver Stanley Berryhill III signed with Detroit, while kicker Lucas Havrisik signed with Indianapolis.

Berryhill, who’s from Tucson, appeared in four games as a rookie for the Lions this season, playing mostly on special teams. He recorded one tackle.

Havrisik had a tryout with the Colts, among other teams, but did not appear in any games in 2022.

UA adds to staff

Arizona has made two additions to its football staff.

Austin Herink has been hired as assistant director of internal operations and analyst for UA coach Jedd Fisch.

Herink previously worked as associate director of football operations at Nebraska. Before that, he was the director of player personnel/data analytics at East Tennessee, his alma mater., where he played quarterback.

Blair Vaughan has been hired as an associate head strength coach. Vaughan played linebacker and running back for Western Kentucky and began his post-playing career as a strength-and-conditioning coach for the Hilltoppers.