She was the ‘glue’ for a Boise State three-peat. Now she’s an NFL scout.
The Miami Dolphins announced earlier this week the hire of Boise State alum Joyce Harrell as a personnel scout.
Harrell, who played on the Broncos’ women’s basketball team, had served as a graduate assistant for the Boise State football team since the summer of 2018. She began as an intern and worked her way into the role of graduate assistant for football operations.
“The Dolphins are getting an extremely talented person in Joyce,” Boise State football coach Bryan Harsin said in a written statement provided by Boise State. “Nobody in our program is surprised at all about her landing a job in the NFL as quickly as she did.”
The Miami Dolphins declined the Idaho Statesman’s request to interview Harrell for this story.
Harrell graduated from Boise State with a degree in communication in May 2019. She has since been working toward a master’s in athletic leadership and is on track to graduate in May 2021.
In four seasons on the women’s basketball team, Harrell won two Mountain West Conference regular-season titles and three conference tournament championships. The Broncos advanced to the NCAA Tournament in her final three seasons with the team.
Harrell started all 33 games for the Broncos as a senior in 2018-19, averaging 6.4 points and a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game. The Broncos went 28-5 and swept both the Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles and took fourth-seeded Oregon State to overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Listed as a 6-foot forward, Harrell was regularly called upon to guard an opposing team’s best inside threat. While she often gave up inches to her opponent, she did not allow it to become a disadvantage. Boise State women’s basketball coach Gordy Presnell has more than once called Harrell the “glue” of the Broncos’ 2018-19 squad.
“Joyce has a championship mentality in how she approaches things, as we’ve seen as a player for Coach Presnell and then moving into the football offices,” Harsin said. “During her time with our program, Joyce provided tremendous support as our NFL scout liaison, coordinating Bronco Up and Broncos vs. Bullying events in the community and many other off-the-field development areas with our players.
“I couldn’t be more excited for her and her next professional step. Just another example of hard work paying off for a true Bronco.”
