Arizona WR Jamarye Joiner enters NCAA transfer portal

Jamarye Joiner was recruited by the Arizona Wildcats to be a quarterback, but it wasn’t until he was converted to wide receiver that he made a real impact on the program.

And now he, like so many of his teammates, have decided their time with Arizona has come to an end.

Joiner is the latest UA player to announce his transfer, putting his name into the NCAA portal on Friday:

Joiner, a redshirt sophomore who played locally for Vail’s Cienega High School, started as both QB and WR for the Wildcats in three seasons. He appeared in two games as a passer in 2018, going 3 for 4 in a loss at Utah, before getting switched to receiver prior to the 2019 season.

That move allowed the 6-foot-1, 214-pound Joiner to flourish. He led Arizona with 34 catches for 552 yards and five touchdowns in 2019, including a breakout 7-catch, 140-yard, 2-TD performance at ASU.

Offseason foot surgery would have caused Joiner to miss the beginning of the 2020 season had it not been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and he finished with 12 catches for 111 yards and a TD while also handling punt and kickoff return duties.

Recruited to the UA by Rich Rodriguez, Joiner did not sign until after Kevin Sumlin was hired in January 2018. Now he’s the fifth player to announce his transfer since Sumlin was fired on Saturday, all from the offensive side of the ball, and eighth to leave the program in the past month.

Redshirt junior receiver Stanley Berryhill III entered the portal on Monday, while Thursday saw sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell, sophomore wide receiver Boobie Curry and redshirt junior offensive lineman Robert Congel all step away.

Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jamari Williams announced his transfer days before Sumlin’s firing, while true freshman defensive backs Khary Crump and Edric Whitley left the program in November.