FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas got a text from his high school teammate back in May and couldn’t believe it.

Douglas and Terrell Jennings played against each other in Pop Warner, were teammates in 7-on-7 tournaments and finally joined forces for real at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Fla., where they won a state championship together in 2018.

And now they were going to be teammates again.

Patriots running back Terrell Jennings and wide receiver DeMario Douglas at Mandarin High School. (Facebook/Angie Mack)

“I was like, ‘nah, ain’t no way. You’re playin’,’” Douglas said when Jennings told him he was signing as an undrafted free agent with the Patriots this spring out of Florida A&M.

Jennings remembers it the same way.

“When I first got (interest), it was kind of crazy because I didn’t talk to the Patriots at all,” Jennings said. “But then we ended up talking, and I was like, ‘wow, we manifested it.’

“Because, like, two weeks before Pro Day, I posted a picture with me and DeMario, and I was like, ‘we’re gonna meet again.’ And next thing, you know, I’m here with them.”

Douglas, a 2023 sixth-round pick out of Liberty, leads Patriots wide receivers with 59 receptions for 541 yards with two touchdowns this season. Jennings spent the first 15 weeks of the season on the practice squad before joining Douglas on the 53-man roster on Saturday.

“I was amazed, really,” Jennings said of being promoted to the active roster. “Because I’ve been working hard to get to this point, and it finally came. And I told my mom, and it kind of hit for real, like it’s real now.”

That’s “mom” to Douglas too.

“We were really close,” Jennings said. “We hung every day. Same as like now. We hang out every day. We’ve been close. Like a brother. I call his grandma, ‘grandma,’ he calls my grandma, ‘grandma,’ and my mom, ‘mom.’ And they’re close too. They come to the games together. Outside of this, they hang out together even when we’re not around.”

Douglas added, “Man, it’s a blessing. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it’s crazy and how slim it is. For us to be on the same team and make it to the league and make it to the team is crazy.”

Foxboro, MA – New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas stiff arms Houston Texans safety Eric Murray on his way to the end zone during the 4th quarter of the game at Gillette Stadium. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Jennings made his NFL debut Week 6 against the Texans as a practice-squad call-up. He carried the ball five times for 13 yards in that game. He didn’t get any touches Sunday against the Bills but did participate on special teams.

It’s possible that Jennings could get more work in the final two weeks of the season, however. Running back JaMycal Hasty missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, and Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson both fumbled in the game.

Douglas said it’s nice to have Jennings on the team around the holidays because it’s like having family around. He also made sure to boast that he always beats him at “Madden” and “NBA2K.”