BLOOMINGTON, Minn. _ In the summer of 2009, South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia organized informal 7-on-7 passing workouts at the practice fields in Columbia.
Garcia was interested to check out a pair of highly rated recruits who had stayed home to play for the Gamecocks _ cornerback Stephon Gilmore from Rock Hill, S.C., and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery from St. Matthews, S.C.
Garcia took one glance at the chiseled Gilmore at that first passing session and was certain his new teammate would be a big-time SEC player.
"I knew Stephon (would be a star) right off the bat just with his overall size and ability," Garcia said. "It was pretty impressive being a freshman and coming in like that."
Then Garcia saw the 6-4, softer-bodied Jeffery and wasn't so sure.
"We get out there and (Jeffery) takes his shirt off and we just start dying laughing," Garcia said this week. "We're like, there's no way this guy is a five-star recruit."
While Jeffery may not have looked the part during his earliest days on campus, he held his own during the epic one-on-one battles he and Gilmore staged at the so-called "Gamecocks Proving Grounds" from 2009-11.
Gilmore and Jeffery were teammates at a high school all-star game, roommates for a year in Columbia and have remained close through their six NFL seasons. Jeffery was even a groomsman in Gilmore's wedding in Charlotte in 2014.
But they've never been opponents _ until now, on football's biggest stage.
Gilmore, a starting cornerback for the New England Patriots, figures to be matched for much of Sunday's Super Bowl LII against Jeffery, the Philadelphia Eagles' No. 1 wideout.
The coaches and players who knew the two at South Carolina expect a physical, competitive matchup, much like the practice pairings that would often end with the two of them on the ground fighting.
But good luck getting a scouting report from Gilmore or Jeffery, both of whom are quiet guys even during a normal week. Neither was particularly interested in discussing their friendship, which they put on hold for a week in the cold of Minnesota.
"I haven't talked to him this week. I'm pretty sure he feels the same way," Jeffery said Wednesday. "It's nothing on purpose. I mean, I play for the Eagles. Ain't no friends, none of that. It is what it is."
Gilmore had a similar response when asked whether he planned to see Jeffery before the game.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said. "You don't get these (very) often. So you've really got to focus on what you've got to do to help your team win."
