One of the most accomplished and celebrated student-athletes to roam the halls of Pitman High School has found his next home.
On Thursday, Joey Stout signed his letter of intent to transfer from Modesto Junior College and continue his football career at Northern Arizona University. His signing ceremony came just weeks removed from helping the Pirates to a 9-3 overall record and a fourth consecutive Valley Conference title.
Stout played football and ran track for the Pride from 2019 to 2023 and spent the last two years with the Pirates in search of the ideal Division 1 opportunity, which he feels he found in Flagstaff.
“NAU, they reached out a few weeks ago, and we talked, got on a Zoom call with the receiver coach, and had a great conversation, " Stout said. “We talked about the offense a little bit, and then they offered. We planned a visit right before dead period, and as soon as that was over. I was there, and, man, the facilities were amazing, the coaches were amazing… I felt like I really connected with the coaches and the campus a lot.”
In his freshman year, Stout — a 5-foot-10 Swiss Army Knife that has seen time as a returner, rusher, and most frequently as a receiver — caught 60 passes for 708 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 308 yards and two scores on 27 rushes. He was then offered a scholarship to Eastern Washington, which he turned down.
“I wasn't right in the right space physically and mentally. I just felt I needed to take another year to develop here at MJC, making sure that I was definitely ready for that level, getting a better knowledge of the game, and also getting a little bit stronger, putting some more weight on and stuff like that.”
Stout, who left Pitman as the owner of three school running records (21.50 in 200m, 47.99 in 400m, 3:21.22 in 4x400m relay), continued rewriting history books in Modesto, becoming a California Community College Athletic Association state champion in the 400-meter dash in August.
During his sophomore campaign on the gridiron that commenced just days after the state meet, Stout caught 54 passes for 975 yards and nine touchdowns. He also took 24 handoffs and pitches for 145 yards and three touchdowns. As a returner, he accumulated 181 yards and a score. On Oct. 26, he even tossed a 20-yard touchdown in a 52-10 rout of Reedley. He scored multiple touchdowns in three games this season.
“He trusted the process,” said longtime MJC head football coach Rusty Stivers. “He absolutely tore it up his first year, and gets a Division 1 offer to Eastern Washington that 99.9% of people would have taken. I know I would've taken it. But he didn’t feel comfortable at the time, so he came and ran track and tears it up, becomes a state champion, no big deal, and then just had a great year. He was a great captain. The easiest kid to coach. He always showed up on time, worked super hard, never complained about targets or touches. Was always here working.”
“He really is one of the best receivers, best playmakers to ever do it here. And we were so fortunate to have him,” added MJC receiving coach and offensive coordinator Zach Hollis.
Stout’s signing ceremony also served as a going-away party, as he departed for Flagstaff the very next day.
“Today was awesome, having to see people from my youth community come out here, people from high school, from college, just basically people from my life who are still supporting me,” he said. “Ultimately, sometimes you'll grow up and you have those people that doubt you, but I don't really focus on that. I focus on the people that are here for me. And these people support me. They've supported me since day one, and I couldn’t be any more appreciative.”
Northern Arizona University is an FCS program competing out of the Big Sky Conference. The Lumberjacks are coming off an 8-5 season in which they qualified for the FCS playoffs.
In recent years, NAU has seen significant upgrades to their facilities, including the 2022 building of their $47 million, state-of-the-art Student Athlete High Performance Center that includes practice facilities, weight rooms, rehab space and boasts the largest altitude training chamber on a collegiate campus. Stout said the facilities were a major draw in his commitment, along with the offensive scheming and the culture brought forth by head coach Brain Wright and staff.
“They can expect a hard working person. I'm going to go in there, work my tail off to earn what I can get,” Stout said. “Obviously I'll be the new guy, so I have to earn my respect, and I've never backed down from that. I've earned people's respect that I never thought that I would earn, and that's been big. So I think that's the main thing. You know, obviously there's only so much you can control, but I'm going to control what I can control.”
