By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
After two breakout seasons and emerging as the go-to guy in his final run for the Bears, Josh Cameron’s story reads like a clean climb: preferred walk-on, turned scholarship wide receiver, now NFL Draft hopeful.
But long before the touchdowns and accolades, before the spotlight and before the dream ever reached draft week, he met the joy of his life — sprinter Joy Wells, another Baylor walk-on who turned a chance birthday party encounter into the beginning of forever.
Athletes turned fiancées, his story on the field has merged with hers on the track. Every part of it, they believe, was written and chosen by God, all becoming a dream they now share together.
“After his final college game, I remember thinking, ‘What are we supposed to do now?’” said Wells, a senior track athlete. “But little did I know that was only the beginning. We flew to the Senior Bowl in Alabama, then to Indianapolis for the combine, then came back for Pro Day and now it’s NFL Draft week.
“From really the beginning until today, it’s all been unreal, a fever dream really, because Jesus has been so good and faithful through it all.”
But when the soon-to-be draft pick and the track runner first met, forever wasn’t exactly the first thing on her mind.
“The first time we met, I wasn’t very nice to him,” Wells said. “I had followed him on Instagram a few weeks before and liked a couple pictures, but never heard anything back. So when I saw him in person, he always says I ‘grilled him.’”
“I even said, ‘You’re one of those typical football players with a massive ego?’” she said. “It’s funny now because anyone who knows Josh knows he’s so far from that kind of guy.”
What started with a rocky first meeting didn’t stay that way for long. After Cameron invited Wells to meet his pet birds, the two began spending nearly every day together, turning a quiet beginning into a relationship that only grew louder, deeper and more beautiful.
At the time, neither of them had clear certainty in their athletic futures.
Cameron was a preferred walk-on, working for an opportunity, and Wells was carving out her own path in track and field, grateful simply to be on the roster.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be on a Division I team,” Wells said. “But by the grace of God and my head coach, Michael Ford, I got the opportunity. Without that, I probably wouldn’t have met Josh.”
For Cameron, the dream had always been clear.
“It’s always been the NFL,” Cameron said. “So I knew I was really always destined for this and that this was gonna be the plan and something I wanted to do to help my people.”
But while Cameron always knew where he wanted football to take him, he didn’t yet know who, besides his family, would be standing beside him when the dream came within reach.
As it all comes full circle, the moment means more not because it belongs to him, but because it belongs to them.
“To be able to share it now with Joy, who’s the love of my life, is everything to me because she’s just helped and supported me throughout the entire process. I really wouldn’t be here without her.”
“To be able to share it now with Joy, who’s the love of my life, is everything to me.” — Josh Cameron
But his path there looked nothing like the typical route.
Despite leading Cedar Park High School to a state championship game appearance, earning First Team All-District honors and Offensive MVP, totaling 90 receptions for 1,226 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior, Cameron’s recruitment stayed quiet. He came to Baylor as a preferred walk-on.
After redshirting his freshman year, playing time remained limited, recognition was almost nonexistent and the climb was anything but clean.
Now with draft week here, Wells has watched the player she believed in before the production finally step into the dream she always spoke over him.
“It’s been really emotional, a good emotion, not like a, ‘Oh, my goodness—,’ ‘What am I gonna—.’ No, it’s ‘I’m so proud of you,'” Wells said. “When we first started dating, I don’t even think Josh got on the field. I would always say, ‘If you want a touchdown, throw it to Josh.’ I’ve been saying and praying over him since, from his first game to now getting ready for the NFL. It doesn’t feel real.”
The walk-on who once struggled to get on the field became one of Baylor’s most reliable playmakers, earning a scholarship and becoming a household name in Waco his redshirt junior season.
“Once fall started, I saw a change in how he cared and how he led the team,” Wells said. “That became his breakout year, which was insane because we prayed so much. His first touchdown came at Utah while I was at track, so we celebrated when we both got back. Little did I know that would turn into 11-plus touchdowns, and we celebrated every one.”
As he prepares for what comes next, Cameron is carrying the same mentality that got him here.
“I’m really excited for this weekend, wherever I end up,” Cameron said. “I just want to make an impact with whatever program or team wants me. I’m going to give it my all, all the time, and continue to make plays at the next level.”
While Cameron carved out his role on the gridiron, Wells was making a name for herself on the track. Both were pulled in a million different directions but grounded in something far bigger than just the two of them.
Because for the future Camerons, through it all, their faith has remained the constant foundation, one they credit in large part to Baylor.
“There’s something special about being an athlete here because our faith plays such a big role in our relationship and our lives,” Wells said. “Both of our coaching staffs and chaplains have been huge pouring into us, not just as athletes, but as people, whether that’s mentally, spiritually or just through life lessons. Especially since we got engaged, it felt like everyone stepped in and said, ‘We can help you guys,’ and it’s meant so much.”
As Cameron waits for his name to be called with rookie camp on the horizon, and Wells set to walk the stage in May, their futures arrive all at once. But for them, the outcome has never been the point.
“At the end of the day, he’s an amazing fiancée and a great athlete, but most importantly, he’s a great man of God who fears the Lord,” Wells said. “No matter what happens, my role is to be there for him and cover him in prayer because we pray for the good, the bad, the happy and the sad. If his name gets called, we’ll thank the Lord, and if it doesn’t, we’ll still thank the Lord.”
