Arizona's Jamarye Joiner got a taste of what it's like to play in a college football game last year, and he was able to do it at the most popular position on the field. The local standout from Cienega High School in Vail, Arizona came to college with the plan of being the heir apparent to Khalil Tate in the Wildcats' offense. He has a similar build to the UA quarterback and it's hard to miss the similarities in their skill sets.

Both players can improvise with the ball in their hand and use their feet to make plays. Pure athleticism.

When you are a playmaker like both Joiner and Tate there will always be the whispers of taking advantage of that quality in ways other than just throwing the ball. Sometimes that talk centers around another position.

The idea is nice, but unless a player is bought into the idea it might never work. So, when the idea of Joiner giving up his dream of playing quarterback to move to receiver, a position of need this year at Arizona, there was a lot of thinking that had to be done by the redshirt freshman.

Eventually, Joiner decided to put his team's needs over his own desire to play the position he has loved since childhood.

"At the end of the day I came to college to play quarterback and that's what I was set on," Joiner said. "So, when I decided to change positions and make the change I was 50/50, but then I reflected on myself and it's more than just me. This is an 11-person game and this is the University of Arizona where I wanted to go. I want to have a winning season this year. Me standing on the sideline standing with coach Sumlin backing up Khalil when I could be on the field playing and helping our team out then that's something I would do everyday."

Joiner's coaches and teammates have praised the selflessness of their young playmaker for his ability to put his wants on the back burner in favor of helping the team. It's something the coaches ultimately left up to him to decide on.

"They left it 100 percent up to me," he said. "So at the end of the day it was how bad do I want to be great? Or how bad do I want us to win? So, I had to take it upon myself to put my quarterback to the side and remember that I have the athleticism to play somewhere else and we could win games."

Joiner understands that if this was a decision he made back when he was in high school there likely would have been more offers on the table to choose from. He eventually added some notable schools to his list by the time he signed with the Wildcats, but that is all in the past now. His immediate future is as an Arizona receiver and so far the transition has the chance to quickly turn into production as he was listed at the top of the team's depth chart earlier this week at the inside receiver spot.

At 6-foot-1 with more bulk than your average slot receiver Joiner is bringing some uniqueness to the position in UA's offense. Because he has looked like a natural at his new position, however, doesn't mean there hasn't been an adjustment process.

"Coming from quarterback to receiver it's just conditioning," he said. "Any quarterback can go out there and run the routes how they're supposed to be run because they know them, but conditioning is not going to be the same. The only hard part about it was getting my conditioning right."

To help him with the transition Joiner said he has watched film of other players who have made the move from quarterback to receiver. Part of the changes that will take place for Joiner this season will be in the tasks he has to do as a receiver. Instead of getting the ball in his hands every play that will now only happen some of the time as a receiver. Blocking is also something new that he will have to add to his repertoire at his new position.

"Blocking is different, but like I said it's selfless," Joiner said. "You have to put your body out there so somebody else can score or get yards that you guys need. At the end of the day it's about winning and if we're gonna win I'll do whatever for that."

Getting a chance to play at his new position right away and earn time on the field above players who have been a receiver for a longer period is not something that goes unrecognized by Joiner. He understands it is not the normal way things like this come together, so all it means is continued work.

"I have to keep working and keep proving myself," he said. "And, keep getting better. This isn't where I want to be at, I want to be better and better. Get one percent better everyday. That's the motto in the receiver room. Get one percent better everyday."

He also has a new found respect for what the other players in the room have done before he ever stepped foot in there. Last year when he was at quarterback he thought he understood what it means to be a receiver, but now that he has had a chance to have an up-close look at the group he has a better idea of what it actually entails.

"We have potential that can open eyes around the nation," he said. "... That's coming from quarterback to receiver and seeing how hard they work. You can always see how hard they work on the field, but you don't see how hard they work in the film room because we have different film rooms. All the receivers work super hard and there's nothing that can top our work ethic."

Arizona opens its season this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. MST when the Wildcats travel to Hawaii. Click here to hear more from Joiner and watch our video interview with the UA receiver.

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