The Feed Pail: Dak is back

Welcome back to the Feed Pail, where we gather up random but choice tidbits of South Carolina Gamecocks news to share with you. On this afternoon’s menu: More football tidbits, of course, because the sport that’s only played a few months a year somehow finds a way to never stop producing news.

Dakereon Joyner isn’t going anywhere, will NOT transfer

Because South Carolina can’t ever seem to have a normal offseason, the rumor mill cranked up considerably after a cryptic Joyner tweet seemed to indicate he was examining his options. At the time, this didn’t make much sense to me, given Jake Bentley’s departure to Utah, but some parts of Gamecock Twitter were convinced that 2019 was the last we’d seen of the former Mr. Football in a South Carolina uniform. (And unfortunately, it’s not like we had a bowl game to otherwise focus our football energy on.)

Happily, that is not the case, as we discovered from the man himself.

Joyner is set to return as the No. 2 quarterback behind Ryan Hilinski, and will likely continue seeing time at wide receiver as well.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Luke Doty is on campus now

The Gamecocks’ early enrollees from their 2020 signing class have arrived in Columbia, headlined by four-star Myrtle Beach signal-caller Doty. As 247Sports reports, 10 prospects are getting a jump on their freshman season, which also includes four-star running back MarShawn Lloyd, seen here looking extremely excited and seriously athletic:

Other notable early enrollees include a pair of fellow four-stars in receiver Mike Wyman and linebacker Mohamed Kaba. If the class’s No. 17 national ranking is anything to be believed, this bunch has potential to be difference-makers.

Sprinter Wadeline Jonathas goes pro

A little off the beaten path here, but a news item worth mentioning since South Carolina’s women’s track and field program has historically been successful. Jonathas only spent one season as a Gamecock, but it was very much decorated: She’ll leave Columbia as a two-time NCAA champion, one for indoors and outdoors and a four-time All-American, in addition to other accolades she collected in international competition.

But she won’t be leaving Columbia just yet — she’ll stick around through the academic year to train for the 2020 Olympics. Best of luck to her, and hopefully we’ll have another Gamecock to cheer for in Team USA track events along with Natasha Hastings.