About five minutes or so before Coach
Kevin Sumlin walks into the Arizona Football locker room on game days,
Jamarye Joiner always heads to the same place – the weight room.
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He doesn't go for a last minute lift, but instead to utilize the mirrors.
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"I'm just looking at myself in that mirror and talking to myself," Joiner said. "I'm saying 'this is what you came here to do. Don't let this opportunity go to waste.'"
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For Joiner, a lifelong Tucsonan, playing football at the University of Arizona is a dream come true. The connection he feels with his hometown and the university that stands proudly in the middle of it is one he cherishes. Those chats before games into the mirrors are the way he reminds himself of the special bond he has with his school.
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The first game Joiner ever attended as a fan at Arizona Stadium was in 2010 when the Wildcats took on Cal. Joiner remembers sitting in the bleachers in the north end zone where the Arizona Football locker room now stands. He scarfed down some Pizza Hut from a truck that used to be behind the bleachers and got hooked on Arizona Football.
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Joiner became a constant at Arizona Stadium and three years later saw the best game he's ever been to as a fan when the Wildcats beat No. 5 Oregon 42-16 on a rare rainy day in Tucson.
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"The stadium was full and the fans were going crazy, and I just remember being like, 'I want to play for Arizona," Joiner said.
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After a successful career at Cienega High School that included a 12-1 senior season, a state semifinal appearance and three all-conference selections, Joiner re-committed to Arizona when Sumlin was hired as the Wildcats' head man.
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"It was perfect because Arizona was my dream school, and Coach Sumlin was my dream coach," Joiner said.
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He spent the 2018 as a quarterback and redshirted, before moving to wide receiver in 2019. He shined for Sumlin and the Cats and led the team with 552 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He reached the end zone for the first time in the team's season opener at Hawai'i.
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"When I scored, I was screaming and yelling, and I looked at our parents section at the stadium," Joiner said. "All I could hear is my mom screaming in excitement. I think because growing up, that's all I heard. She was always there supporting me, and that was an amazing moment. It really was my dream come true."
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