These players started out as Georgia high school teammates. Now, their paths are heading toward NFL

INDIANAPOLIS — The best college football players in the country are working hard to impress NFL teams and a lot of those players call the Peach State home.

Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein has reported live from the NFL Combine on Channel 2 Action News. On Wednesday, Klein caught up with two lifelong friends from north Fulton County.

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In addition to 11 players from the University of Georgia, there are nearly 30 other young men who played high school football in Georgia, including J.D. Bertrand and Steele Chambers.

Bertrand started for four years at Blessed Trinity and would finish his senior year at Notre Dame as the Irish’s leading tackler. Chambers started for three years at Blessed Trinity and would finish his senior year at Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ leading tackler.

They both led the Titans to three state titles. Both are linebackers. Both are at the NFL Combine. Both are close to seeing their childhood dreams realized.

“Grown up with him since fourth grade, and kind of being able to go through this process together, be able to talk to each other when he redshirted, those kind of lows of college football, and then be able to see each other during those highs and kind of support each other through that time also,” Bertrand said.

“It’s weird. I haven’t seen him in like five years besides playing him a couple of times. So I mean it’s always nice to have a Blessed Trinity guy here, too. Just represent for the school,” Chambers said.

It was their days in high school together when they won three straight state championships. That always brings back fond memories and fantastic stories, especially when Bertrand told Klein to ask Chambers about his dance class.

“Oh, yeah, I took ballet, my junior year of high school. Yeah, that’s funny. He’s got to bring that up. But I mean, yeah, I took ballet to help you,” he said. “It was good, man. I caught a sweat. It was just an hour and a half of just stretching. Basically, I had to do a dance recital at the end of it. That kind of sucked. But I mean, I killed it.

To be fair, Klein asked Chambers if there was a story he wants the world to know about Bertrand.

He said to ask about the time he donated blood, got dizzy, passed out and broke his nose.

Bertrand said yes that happened. But it was just a scratch.

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