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Better late than never for Quinten Joyner joining Texas Tech football team
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- Better late than never for Quinten Joyner joining Texas Tech football team
Tahj Brooks finished his Texas Tech football career last season fourth in Big 12 history in career rushing yards (4,557) and career 100-yard rushing games (23). Topping 1,500 yards rushing each of his past two seasons, Brooks was a semifinalist both years for the Doak Walker Award.
The Red Raiders might not be done, though, with standout running backs from Manor.
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Texas Tech defensive tackle Jayden Cofield and Brooks helped see to that this offseason when Quinten Joyner decided to transfer after two years at Southern California.
"They both just kept blowing up my phone, 'Come to Texas Tech. Come to Texas Tech,'" Joyner said of the Red Raider friends from his hometown. "I fell in love with the place and I don't regret the choice I made. I love it here."
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Joyner joined the Tech program in January. Tech's offensive staff will spend a lot of time between now and the Aug. 30 season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff figuring out playing time for Joyner, returning sophomores J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey , and possibly senior Cam'Ron Valdez , depending on how Valdez looks coming off knee surgery.
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Two years ago, recruiting services rated Joyner as one of the top running back prospects in the nation. He chose USC over a list of suitors that included Oregon and Penn State.
Texas Tech's Quinten Joyner stands on the sidelines spring practice, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at the Womble Football Center.
His time with the Trojans seemingly did nothing to diminish his stock. Joyner signed with Tech 10 days after having his name in the transfer portal, and took an official visit in between to eventual national champion Ohio State.
"I think you can really see him developing into the three-down back we thought he would be," Tech running backs coach Garret McGuire said. "Some of the things he can do out of the backfield as a route runner makes him a real mismatch, and obviously he's pretty special with the ball in his hands."
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Joyner is 5-foot-11 and 211 pounds. Last season, he carried 63 times for 478 yards and three touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 89 yards and a TD. In a mid-October home game against Penn State, he had a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 9-yard TD catch in the second quarter. He finished the day with 82 yards on three carries.
He also had 10 carries for 84 yards and two TDs against Utah State and 10 carries for 83 yards against Notre Dame.
"People really call me more of a power back," Joyner said, "but I would say I got better over the years with trying to make people miss, catching the ball out of the backfield and just being a versatile back."
There's some speed in the skillset, too, that's enabled Joyner to average 7.4 yards per carry over 81 attempts in his first two years.
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"I ran like 21.5 (mph) in practice with the pads on. I guess you could say that's moving a little bit," Joyner said. "I'm not satisfied with it, but yeah, you could call me fast if you wanted to."
Joyner, Williams, Dickey and Valdez have similar resumes. Joyner has 81 carries for 603 yards and Valdez has 85 carries for 511. On 41 carries apiece as freshmen last season, Williams rushed for 236 yards and Dickey for 225. Williams was Tech's outstanding offensive player in the Liberty Bowl with 123 yards rushing.
"I think it'll be by committee," Garret McGuire said, "which I'm really excited about. In the best-case scenario, in my brain, we're every week competing for carries, competing for playing time. I think if we do that, then the room will raise, the level of play will raise."
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Better late than never for Quinten Joyner joining Texas Tech football
