Jake Bentley is the starting quarterback at South Carolina. As long as the junior is healthy, that’s not up for debate anytime soon.

But is there a possibility that we see true freshman Dakereon Joyner in some capacity in 2018? New South Carolina quarterbacks coach Dan Werner certainly seemed open to that idea.

“It’s definitely realistic,” Werner said via 247sports. “Nowadays guys have to come in and play. He’s a good athlete. He’s one of those guys you have to kick out (of the football facilities) because he’s here too much. He’s going to work hard and try and learn everything. If it gets to where we only used a limited role for him or whatever it is we have to do, we’ll make it work.”

South Carolina certainly wouldn’t be the first SEC program to have a freshman play in more than the typical backup role. Last year, Tua Tagovailoa got the call a bit earlier than most backups so that he could develop as a passer.

It’s worth noting that while Werner is intrigued by the idea of eventually putting in a package for Joyner, he’s not the one who will make that call. New offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon will have final say in that matter.

Still, that’s not a bad start for the former No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 class.

The early enrollee will have a chance to impress this spring and make a legitimate case for himself at South Carolina’s spring game next weekend.