Gamecocks’ Dakereon Joyner accepts NIL deal with Duke’s Mayo Bowl

South Carolina quarterback Dakereon Joyner has accepted a name, image and likeness deal to become the Duke’s Mayo Bowl ambassador, a representative from the game told The State on Wednesday.

Joyner — who was named MVP of South Carolina’s 38-21 bowl win over North Carolina last week — completed all nine of his passes for 160 yards and a touchdown and added another 64 yards on 10 rushes.

“What I say to other people: ‘Never give up on your dreams,’ ” Joyner said after the game. “If you’ve ever got something out there that you want to get, keep going. Never give up. Adversity is going to come, but it’s how you overcome it.”

The role Joyner has accepted will include a handful of social media posts over the coming weeks to document his time playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and what the game meant to him.

The contract offered to Joyner is set pay $5,000, per a news release.

“We couldn’t have a better selection (than Joyner),” Duke’s Mayo Bowl executive director Danny Morrison told The State. “He obviously had an outstanding game, but just the way he handled himself after the game — he was appreciative of everything. We couldn’t be more pleased that he’s accepted this role.”

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl worked with Opendorse — a sports technology company that works with athletes on endorsement valuation among other products — to put the deal together.

“We wanted to be on the front end of the (NIL) landscape,” Morrison said. “We wanted to make sure that were current and so we did want to do it through a third party to make sure that we were handling all the rules and regulations in the proper way. That’s why we partnered with Opendorse.

“It was a great way for a number of the student-athletes to tell the story during bowl week. And that’s just a different perspective for fans.”

South Carolina finished head coach Shane Beamer’s first season as the head coach at South Carolina with a 7-6 record, including wins over Auburn and Florida.