Sticking together as teammates: Transfer QB and WR commit to Gamecocks
The South Carolina football team has addressed its need for depth at the quarterback and wide receiver positions.
St. Francis University (Pennsylvania) quarterback Jason Brown and wide receiver E.J. Jenkins committed to the Gamecocks on Tuesday.
St. Francis is an FCS school that didn’t play football in the fall during the COVID-19 pandemic and won’t play in the spring either. Brown and Jenkins entered the NCAA transfer portal earlier in January.
Brown first posted the news of his decision Tuesday to Twitter: “GLORY TO GOD!! Thank you to all the South Carolina coaches!! Blessed! I’m COMMITTED to The University of South Carolina!! See you soon Columbia!”
And Jenkins followed shortly afterward: “Thank you all the coaches that reached out during this process. I’m truly blessed to announce that I am committed to the University of South Carolina.”
They will have two years of eligibility left at South Carolina. They’re expected to enroll at USC on March 1 in time for the school’s Spring II semester and be a part of the Gamecocks’ spring practice.
“It’s a blessing,” Brown said. “I’ve been playing with (Jenkins) since the seventh grade. We’re definitely ready to get to work and show Columbia what we can do. I think we can definitely show them that we can play. I know there’s a lot of doubt coming from the FCS level, but I know that we can show them that we can play with the ability that we have on the field. Definitely excited for it.”
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Brown led the Northeast Conference in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2019 and set school records for passing touchdowns (28) and yards (3,084).
“The type of offense that South Carolina runs is perfect,” Brown said. “I’m in the pocket but I can extend plays. And when I extend plays, I’m always looking down field to throw the ball. I’m not looking to run, but I can definitely run if I need to. Running is not my first priority. No matter if I’m in the pocket, standing still, or if I have to escape the pocket, I’m still looking to throw the ball no matter what.”
His commitment gives South Carolina four quarterbacks on the roster. Brown will join sophomore Luke Doty, freshman Colten Gauthier and walk-on Conner Jordan.
The 6-foot-8 Jenkins becomes the tallest player on the Gamecocks roster. Jenkins had 39 catches for 779 yards and a school-record 13 touchdowns in 2019.
The Gamecocks’ spring football practice is tentatively planned to start March 20, with the spring game taking place April 24.
Brown and Jenkins were teammates in high school at Chancellor High in Virginia and again at St. Francis, and they expressed the desire to keep playing football together.
“It means a lot to me, man. Jason and I talked about moments like this when we were in seventh grade. It’s truly a blessing,” Jenkins said.
They are the sixth and seventh transfer portal additions for the Gamecocks this offseason. Their scholarships are expected to count toward the 2021 class, which would put USC at 22 of its 25 available spots for newcomers. The traditional National Signing Day is Feb. 3.
New South Carolina coach Shane Beamer addressed the state of the quarterback position and roster needs in general earlier this month.
“We’ll be creative and, certainly going forward, do everything we can to get those numbers where they need to be at each position,” Beamer told reporters. “And quarterback’s no different than any other position. It’s got to be the right dynamic if we add to that room.
“And I talked to the guys in the first team meeting and talked about it (Sunday) night. We always want to be about competition and competing in everything that we do, and that’s no different when it comes to positions on the team.”
— Phil Kornblut contributed to this story
Transfer portal additions for Gamecocks
*Jason Brown — quarterback (St. Francis)
*EJ Jenkins — wide receiver (St. Francis)
Ahmarean Brown — wide receiver (Georgia Tech)
David Spaulding — defensive back (Georgia Southern)
Darryl “Debo” Williams — linebacker (Delaware)
Jordan Strachan — defensive lineman (Georgia State)
Keem Green — defensive lineman (Nebraska)
* denotes committed but not yet enrolled
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 1:31 PM.
