Friends became foes on Wednesday morning.

Senior Glassboro High School defensive back Ronnie James signed his letter of intent with Rutgers, while wide receiver teammate Juwan Johnson inked his letter with Penn State.

Johnson will play wide receiver at Penn State, while James - a safety with the Bulldogs - will play corner at Rutgers. That means there's a chance they could end up locked up on each other in Big Ten games the next four years or so.

"It's definitely a potential these two athletes will line up against each other and when that game happens, I'll make sure we're not playing," said Glassboro coach Mark Maccarone. "I'll be there for that. I'll be front and center for that game.

"The two of them are so highly competitive with one another from the time they were young. It's expected that the two of them would line up against each other and push each other in practice. That's the type of caliber athlete they'll see every week now. There aren't too many schools that have a Division I wide receiver and Division I defensive back to make each other better."

Especially not at a small school like Glassboro, which was Group 1 until this year when it moved up as the smallest school in South Jersey Group 2. James' brother, P.J., is a running back at Rutgers, while former Bulldog Corey Clement is a running back with Wisconsin.

"It definitely means a lot coming from a small school in a small town like Glassboro," said James. "The fact we have four Big Ten players in the last couple years is pretty amazing. It's just the hard work and effort we put into the game."

Johnson said matching up with James on the practice field every day is a big reason both were signing letters of intent on Wednesday afternoon to play at the highest level.

"We work hard and you can find talent from anywhere, no matter how big or small a school is," said Johnson. "We always battle in practice and that's why we are where we're at now. We keep going at it. We're making ourselves better. It builds our character and builds our skills up."

Asked who usually won those matchups, Johnson smiled.

"Me," he said.

James said he hoped to have the opportunity to lock up one-on-one on Johnson just like they did in practice.

"It would be a lot of fun, bring back a lot of memories," said James. "I hope I get a chance to man cover him so we can challenge each other a lot. I don't know if that will happen."

Johnson was the South Jersey Times Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection after catching 42 passes for 804 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing five times for 102 yards and two scores. He was also a shutdown defensive back for the Bulldogs, who won the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division and went 8-2 this year.

Johnson played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio this January.

James earned third-team All-State and first-team All-Group 2 defensive honors, accumulating 59 tackles, three for loss, five pass break-ups and one INT. He also ran for 1,241 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 182 yards and five scores.

Rutgers travels to Penn State on Sept. 19 this year. James admitted he hadn't looked at the schedule.

"Not yet," he said. "But it's something I need to get on."

Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports. Find the NJ.com High School Football page on Facebook by following this link.