Jamarye Joiner’s phone has gone a little bit nuts lately.
The three-star dual-threat quarterback prospect, after all, was already receiving attention from several schools before Rich Rodriguez, the head coach at Arizona, where Joiner is verbally committed, was fired Tuesday.
Among the programs showing the most interest in the Tuscon, Arizona, native: Nebraska and head coach Scott Frost. Joiner is slated to use an official visit to Lincoln on Jan. 19, and said he’s been impressed with the new Husker coaching staff in his contacts so far.
“When I first got offered by Coach Frost, it was a little shocking,†said Joyner, who tweeted that he had received an offer on Dec. 28. “It was one of those offers that you’re just amazed by because you never thought you’d get an offer like that. Coach Frost, coming from a team that just went undefeated and upset one of the biggest teams in the nation in the bowl game, it’s just one of those offers that amazes you.â€
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Joiner set up his official visit here, and now, suddenly, his recruitment has taken quite the turn with Rodriguez’s firing.
“The last couple of days have been crazy with recruitment,†he said. “There’s been a whole bunch of coaches that have been texting me and interviews and stuff like that. Really everything’s been taking off for me, and then the whole thing with Arizona, it’s a business and I can’t let that affect me too much. I just have to know that college football is a business.
“The same thing for me because I’m an athlete and I have to control my recruitment and make sure I’m good before anything else.â€
Joiner said the schools he’s heard from in recent days include Alabama, Central Florida, Houston, Baylor and Boise State. He’s planning to visit Arizona the week before NU, Baylor the week after and the Crimson Tide in early February.
As a senior at Cienega High, Joiner completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,196 yards (17.7 per completion), 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 1,399 yards (8.5 per carry) and 18 more scores in 13 games.
“Coach Frost really emphasized how much he likes my film and how much he likes the ball in my hands and what I can do with it,†Joiner said.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder wants to study medicine because his mom’s been in the field for a long time. He said the flurry of activity is stressful, but he’s trying to take it in stride.
“Does the school have a good medicine program and fit what I want to do in the future outside of football?†he said of what he’s looking for. “Do I feel comfortable there if football wasn’t there? Is it a place where I feel that I can grow up and mature without my parents? … I’ll try to enjoy the trips and everybody showing me what they have to offer before I make my decision on signing day.â€
Nebraska already has one class of 2018 quarterback in the fold in four-star Adrian Martinez, and also returns scholarship players Patrick O’Brien and Tristan Gebbia.