Jan. 6, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Jeremy Joynt won a pair of state championships in high school and two conference championships and a bowl game in junior college. In 2006, he will look to continue his winning ways as part of the Illinois State football team. Joynt, a 6-foot-3, 258 pound tight end from Iowa Central Community College, signed a national letter of intent on Friday during the early signing period.
The Emmetsburg, Iowa native rejoins his junior college teammate Billy Speiser, who signed with the Redbirds last week, and will begin attending classes in the spring.
"We are really excited about signing Jeremy," head coach Denver Johnson said. "We are losing a guy in Jonathan Denley, who was largely responsible for the success of our running game, but we think Jeremy is of the same mold. His junior college predominately ran the ball and he is just going to be a great fit for what we ask from our tight ends and H-backs."
Used primarily as a blocking tight end in a run dominated offense, Joynt earned first team all-region honors last season for the Tritons, which finished with a 9-2 record. The 2005 season was highlighted with a 17-6 win over No. 15 Rochester in the Graphic Edge Bowl, which was played at the UNI-Dome on the Northern Iowa campus. Along with the entire offensive line, Joynt was named the game's most valuable player.
As a freshman at Iowa Central, Joynt helped pave the way for a pair of 1,200-yard rushers and claimed the first of two West Region Conference championships during his tenure.
Joynt is used to winning games at the UNI-Dome after being a part of back-to-back Class 2A state championships during his junior and senior seasons at Emmetsburg High School. As a prep, he earned elite all-state honors as a senior and first team all-state accolades after his junior campaign, while twice being named first team all-district.
In addition to football, Joynt also had success with the shot put in high school. A three-time state finalist, Joynt finished second at the Iowa state meet as a junior and notched a pair of fifth-place efforts at the Drake Relays during his junior and senior campaigns.
