Mountain Brook RB one to watch in 2018 class

AUBURN | Not many high school football fans outside of Mountain Brook have heard of Harold Joiner, but that likely will change now that he’s healthy.

The junior running back, who stands 6-foot-3, weighs 213 pounds and claims to have run the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds, suffered a season-ending injury as a sophomore.

“We were playing at Hoover and I tripped over someone and hurt my knee,” Joiner said. “But I’m back to 100 percent and ready.”

Joiner proved it Friday at Auburn’s Rising Junior Camp. He was one of more than 50 top recruits at the camp. Joiner worked with running backs coach Tim Horton and spoke with coach Gus Malzahn.

“Coach Malzahn told me I did good,” Joiner said. “He said he wants me to come to some games this year.”

Auburn has not offered, but will be watching Joiner closely this season. The same can be said about many schools, including Alabama.

Joiner camped in Tuscaloosa earlier in the summer and received some of the same feedback. The results from the two camps were similar, but the experiences were different.

“At Alabama, they had us going through a ton of drills and we didn’t have any time to rest,” Joiner said. “At Auburn, it was more chilled and we had fun.”

Joiner will attend games at each of the in-state SEC schools this fall. He doesn’t have an offer from either, but hopes that changes.

“I really want to go to an SEC school,” Joiner said. “The SEC is the closest to the NFL as you can get.”

Joiner has an offer from Jacksonville State, and is receiving interest from Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri and Mississippi State.