Since middle school, Jason Brown and E.J. Jenkins have practically been a package deal.

Both the pride of Chancellor High School in Fredericksburg, Va., they each started their college careers at FCS St. Francis putting up gaudy numbers before transferring together to South Carolina before the start of spring practice.

Now, they could be on the field for a lot of Saturday’s game against Florida together with Brown potentially in line to start and Jenkins for more snaps at receiver.

“I mean those two are like attached at the hip,” Shane Beamer said. “You really don’t hardly see one without the other… I remember the first time we talked to one of them on the phone in recruiting, we talked to the other one. Like they were always together.

Having known and played with each other for the better part of a decade, there’s a natural chemistry that develops and it’s easy to tell Brown and Jenkins have it.

Beamer jokes the team even kids them about it during practice when they’re on the field together

“If we’ve got five receivers out on the route, there’s about a 97 percent chance the ball is going to E.J. no matter whether he is open or not,” Beamer said.

For Brown and Jenkins though, the friendship they have developed spans far beyond the football field. Brown’s little sister refers to Jenkins as her “older brother,” and the relationship between the lifelong friends has become more like a “family atmosphere,” Jenkins said.

“Of course we just started as friends, but as time goes on you develop a better relationship with them,” said Jenkins. “Just seeing each other grow is real special.”

This weekend could be a big one for both Gamecock transfers, especially Brown.

Either Brown or Zeb Noland, coming off a knee surgery, will start at quarterback on Saturday as South Carolina faces Florida based on the depth chart provided by the school.

Beamer said on Wednesday the final quarterback decision will not come ahead of game day while offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield also said on Wednesday that he is not ruling out playing two quarterbacks against the Gators.

Brown is coming off his best performance of the year against an SEC opponent at Texas A&M. With Brown under center in College Station, the Gamecocks tallied 170 of their 185 total yards against the Aggies.

The way Brown performed in Texas though was no shock to the person who has been there since the beginnings of his career. Jenkins says he’s not surprised with Brown’s play.

“Just seeing him be successful and do what he normally does,” Jenkins said, “everyone else is amazed at what kind of passes he’s making. I just think it’s just an everyday thing because I’ve been seeing it forever."

As for Jenkins seeing increased field time this season, Beamer has hopes of getting the receiver on the field more. Put simply, the issue in getting Jenkins more playing time stems from the fact that he plays behind Josh Vann, who leads South Carolina with 431 receiving yards on the season.

“We’ve gotta get E.J. out there more,” said Beamer. “E.J. has continued to improve in practice and has put himself in the position to be able to get out there more and more.”

Despite Brown and Jenkins playing less than both had hoped this season, the duo still remains supportive and loyal to each other.

“We continue to motivate each other every day, even when you’re feeling down… really just helping each other every day,” said Jenkins.

South Carolina will face Florida at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., SEC Network), and while the outcome and the events of the game are yet to be decided, one thing looks to be certain; Brown and Jenkins will run onto the field the same way they have for over a decade: together.

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