South Carolina football: Jason Brown, EJ Jenkins to join roster

South Carolina football landed a QB/WR duo Tuesday.

It was rumored in early January that the Gamecocks had offered and were in the process of getting teammates EJ Jenkins and Jason Brown admitted to the university. On Tuesday, the news broke that the quarterback-wide receiver duo are officially becoming a part of the 2021 football team.

Brown and Jenkins, who have known each other since middle school, were teammates at Chancellor High in Virginia before heading off to play at Saint Francis College (PA). Saint Francis is an FCS program in the Northeastern Conference.

Neither was highly rated coming out of the high school ranks, though each had division one interest at one point or another. Jenkins, a wide receiver/tight end hybrid, was offered by Old Dominion, while the quarterback, Brown, visited Charlotte and Virginia Tech.

Both ended up at Saint Francis, though, wanting another opportunity to play together. And they have been able to do it at a high level.

Last season, Brown led the NEC in passing by throwing for 3,084 yards and 28 touchdowns. The talented signal caller threw just six interceptions while completing 62% of his attempts.

Jenkins, standing 6-foot-8, hauled in a program record 13 receiving touchdowns in 2019, tallying 39 catches for 779 yards. Both players earned all-conference honors, with Brown being voted an honorable mention All-American.

Saint Francis postponed their 2020 football season to the spring of 2021, as did many other FCS programs, but at the beginning of the new year, the school decided to cancel the season altogether. When that news was announced, Brown and Jenkins sought other opportunities.

South Carolina was one of the first programs to be in contact, and they’ll now reap the benefits of having a passer-catcher tandem with nearly a decade of chemistry.

Brown joins a quarterback room that has only two games of starting experience. He immediately becomes the most seasoned passer in the room, which also includes Luke Doty and incoming freshman Colten Gauthier. Former starters Collin Hill and Ryan Hilinski have both moved on to new destinations for the 2021 season.

Brown should push Doty for the starting spot, while also being able to teach the youngster along the way.

Jenkins comes in at another position of need for the Gamecocks, and brings some versatility to the wide receiver room. Leading pass catcher Shi Smith is off to the NFL, and no other wideout on the team tallied more than 115 receiving yards in 2020.

Jenkins becomes the tallest and most productive player in the receiving corps, and with his size and speed, could end up being used similarly to how projected first-rounder Kyle Pitts was used in Florida’s offense a season ago.

With the additions, the Gamecocks have now added seven transfers over the offseason. Brown and Jenkins join wideout Ahmarean Brown (Georgia Tech), linebackers Debo Williams (Delaware) and Jordan Strachan (Georgia State), defensive lineman Keem Green (Nebraska), and cornerback David Spaulding (Georgia Southern).