When FCS Saint Francis (Pa.) canceled its spring football season nearly three weeks ago, All-American quarterback Jason Brown knew what he had to do.
A matter of hours later, Brown was in the NCAA transfer portal and within a few days, he and wide receiver teammate E.J. Jenkins were on a Zoom call with the South Carolina football staff.
An offer from the Gamecocks quickly came and after clearing admissions, Brown and Jenkins both committed to the Gamecocks Tuesday afternoon.
"It was kind of stressful, not knowing where you're going to end up when you enter the portal, it's always stressful. It kind of took me back to high school, being recruited again," Brown told Gamecock Central. "I really chose South Carolina because they play in the best conference in college football and they're really the only school that offered me and E.J. (Jenkins) both. We'll be able to play together again, so I definitely had to take that and run with it."
A Fredericksburg, Va. native, Brown burst onto the scene in 2019, his first season as a starter, and led the NEC in passing yards (3,084) and passing TDs (28), earning Honorable Mention All-American honors.
Once Brown entered the portal, the interest from South Carolina was obvious as Shane Beamer, Marcus Satterfield, Justin Stepp, Des Kitchings and Erik Kimrey all hopped on a Zoom call with the quarterback-wide receiver duo.
"It's been good," Brown said of getting to know the staff. "When they first offered us, they told us the process is going to take a little bit of time because of admissions and they were like, 'We're going to stay loyal to you guys if you guys stay loyal to us.' Me and E.J. talked to Coach Kimrey every single day. He always sent us a text message to check up on us, to see how our day was and all those types of things. That meant a lot to me and that meant a lot to us. It's excited and I'm excited to get up there and play for those guys."
Brown's pledge to the Gamecocks comes after both quarterbacks Ryan Hilinski and Collin Hill departed from the program leaving sophomore Luke Doty and freshman Colten Gauthier as the only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.
While it's not yet clear what exactly the Gamecocks' scheme will look like, the staff likes the fit.
"They told me I definitely fit what they're trying to do," Brown said. "I've got a big arm, so I'm going to be able to make a lot of throws for them. They just told me that I really have a good shot to play. There's some talented QBs in the room, but it's an open competition and anyone can win the job and that's just what I want to get there and do. I want to show that I can play."
Shortly after Brown's pledge, Jenkins announced his commitment to the Gamecocks as well, assuring that the duo will continue to play together.
While Brown wasn't sure of the exact date they'll move in, he's expected to start classes on March 1, in plenty of time to start spring practice on March 20.
"The facilities are some of the best I've seen in the nation," Brown added. "With all the workout videos they've been posting lately, I know those guys there want to work really bad and want to win and I want to be that guy that helps them win every Saturday."
