Die-hard sports fans know all about which superstar athletes played college or junior together. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase at LSU football, Jalen Hart and Josh Hart at Villanova basketball, and Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner in MLB are just a few that come to mind.
But out of the 20-something-thousand high schools across the United States…what are the odds of two notable pro athletes attending the same school together? Turns out it’s not super-duper rare after all.
Here are 10 sets of active superstar athletes you have no idea went to high school together.
Which superstar athletes were once teammates at the amateur level?
Clayton Kershaw & Matthew Stafford
There’s a long list of notable athletes who attended Highland Park High School in University Park in Dallas County, Texas.
This includes football legends Doak Walker, Bobby Layne, PGA golf star Scottie Scheffler and Olympic gold medalist Shaun Jordan. Other notable attendees include Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
And here’s the catch: Kershaw and Stafford actually attended Highland Park High School together. Not only were they close friends, but they were on offense together for the varsity football team.
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Kershaw was the center for Stafford, who played quarterback. But as Kershaw refined his baseball skills, he decided to stop playing football and pursue a career on the mound.
Stafford took his football talents to the University of Georgia, where he went on to flourish as a quarterback. Kershaw was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2006 MLB Draft and decided to walk back on his commitment to the Texas A&M baseball program.
Stafford was taken first overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft. After spending 12 seasons there, he was sent to the Los Angeles Rams in a 2021 blockbuster deal.
Fast forward less than two decades after they left high school, and you’re now talking about the best pitcher of his generation and one of football’s premier passers of the 21st century. Kershaw led the Dodgers to a World Series championship in 2020, and Stafford delivered a Super Bowl 56 victory for the Rams 16 months later.
It’s only fitting that Kershaw and Stafford ended up being world champions in the back half of their respective careers — in the city of Los Angeles, no less.
Jayson Tatum & Matthew Tkachuk
The Boston Celtics’ superstar and renowned Florida Panthers’ pest went to the Chaminade College Preparatory Catholic school together. The prestigious school is located in Creve Couer, Missouri.
Matthew was born while his father, former NHL star Keith Tkachuk, was playing for the Phoenix Coyotes. Keith would later play for the St. Louis Blues from 2000-01 to 2009-10.
Tatum’s friendship with Tkachuk came under the spotlight during the Celtics’ and Panthers’ respective championship runs in 2024. This photo of them hanging out together as kids was widely showcased as they led their teams to championship glory.
Tatum’s Celtics lost in the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors, and then they finally broke through with a title in 2024. Tkachuk’s Panthers were crushed by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, only to redeem themselves by capturing Lord Stanley’s Mug the following year.
With plenty of individual accolades and championship rings on their resumes, it’s not too early to talk about the Hall of Fame for these longtime friends and athletic phenoms.
Alvin Kamara & Diamond DeShields
Norcross High School in Norcross, Georgia, has produced its fair share of superstar athletes over the years. This includes Jeremy Lamb, Jake Camarda and Chris Herndo.
Betcha didn’t know that New Orleans Saints superstar running back Alvin Kamara and WNBA All-Star Diamond DeShields attended Norcross High together as members of the 2013 class.
Diamond comes from a family of genetics. Her father, Delino DeShields, was a standout Major League second baseman who played professionally from 1990 to 2002. Diamond’s brother, Delino DeShields Jr., also played in the majors from 2015 to 2021.
DeShields took her basketball talents to North Carolina before eventually transferring over to Tennessee. Kamara started his college career at Alabama before transferring to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas — and later Tennessee as well.
Kamara was drafted in the third round by the New Orleans Saints in 2017, emerging as one of the league’s elite offensive weapons while helping the team to four straight NFC South division crowns to begin his career.
DeShields was drafted third overall by the Chicago Sky in 2018. She was named to the All-Star Game in 2019 and led Chicago to a WNBA Championship in the 2021 season.
Another cool layer to this is that DeShields and Kamara have been close friends since their high school days. In fact, Kamara attended the 2018 WNBA Draft to support DeShields on her special day.
Stefon Diggs & Kendall Fuller
The two NFL were high school football teammates and competed on the same track and field team, along with former NFL corner Blake Countess.
Those three attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School — a private school — located in Olney, Maryland. Former Carolina Panthers GM and Washington Commanders executive Marty Hurney attended the school way-back-when, too!
Diggs played college ball at Maryland from 2012 to 2014, and Fuller spent his three-year NCAA career at Virginia Tech. Diggs was a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, one year before Fuller was taken in the third round by Washington.
Diggs is two years older than Fuller, but they have reunited several times on the field in the pros. Their first meeting came in Fuller’s 2016 rookie year — a 26-20 Washington victory over Minnesota.
It’s too bad that the Buffalo Bills traded Diggs to the Houston Texans in the 2024 offseason because Fuller signed with the Miami Dolphins. Seeing the two former high schoolmates go up against each other twice a season would have been fun!
Kelsey Plum & Tommy Edman
The Las Vegas Aces All-Star and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Gold Glover graduated together in the class of 2013 at La Jolla Country Day School — located in the luxurious neighborhood of La Jolla in San Diego.
Plum was named a McDonald’s All-American as well as a WBCA High School All-American in her graduating year. Plum then took her basketball talents to the University of Washington, and Edman joined the Stanford Cardinal program.
It’s not exactly clear if Plum and Edman were friends in high school or if they’ve maintained communication since turning professional. At any rate, it’s awfully cool for the La Jolla Country Day School class of 2013 to say that their year produced two superstar athletes.
Edman made the jump to the majors in 2019 and has been a star in the Cardinals’ lineup ever since, helping them re-emerge as a consistent playoff contender in the National League.
Plum was drafted first overall by the San Antonio Stars — now the Las Vegas Aces — in 2017. She led the Aces to back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023.
Patrick Surtain II & Tyson Campbell
Surtain II and Campbell have emerged as two of the top young cornerbacks since they arrived in the NFL together in 2021. Now imagine having to be a high school quarterback throwing against both of these future NFL stars.
Surtain II and Campbell attended the American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida. Incredibly, both of them were five-star recruits – with Surtain II and Campbell being ranked as the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 corners, respectively.
And who was their high school football coach, None other than Pat’s father, three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Both Surtain and Campbell played in the 2018 U.S. All-American Bowl. Fittingly, Surtain II took his talents to Alabama, while Campbell signed up with the archrival Georgia program.
The Denver Broncos drafted Surtain II ninth overall in 2021, and Campbell was the top selection in round two — 33rd overall — by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two didn’t need long to meet again in the pros, as they faced off in Week 2 of the 2021 season in Duval County — a 23-13 victory for Surtain and the Broncos.
Kyler Murray & Bo Nickal
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and three-time NCAA wrestling champion Bo Nickal struck a friendship well before they became superstar athletes.
Murray and Nickal attended Allen High School in Allen, Texas. Nickal is a year older than Murray and graduated in 2014, with the future NFL star walking the stage in 2015.
Murray and Nickal were friends in high school and offer support for one another every so often on social media.
Murray spent his first year of college football at Texas A&M before transferring to Oklahoma, where he claimed the Heisman Trophy in 2016. The two-time Pro Bowler went first overall to Arizona in the 2019 NFL Draft and led the franchise to a rare postseason appearance in 2021.
Nickal debuted for Dana White’s UFC at the UFC 285 event in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 4, 2023. Nickal defeated Jamie Pickett via submission in a dazzling debut.
Davante Adams & Joc Pederson
Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, California has educated a long list of celebrities from all different industries. The three Franco brothers — Dave, Tom and James — all went here. So did Jim Harbaugh, Jeremy Lin and Bill Kreutzmann, just to name a few more.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams and veteran MLB slugger Joc Pederson also attended Palo Alto High School together. Not only that, but they were both wide receivers on the same football team.
In December 2016, Pederson posted a throwback image of the two playing football together. Also, a clip of their highlights together at Palo Alto High went viral in 2021.
While Adams has gone on to become one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, Pederon has carved out a stellar career of his own as a journeyman slugger. The two-time All-Star won World Series championships with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Jalen Ramsey & Darius Garland
Ramsey, a late 1994 birthday, is just over five years older than Garland, an early 2000 birthday. However, the Brentwood Academy prep school they both attended in Nashville, Tennessee, serves students from grades 6 to 12. So ah-ha, they just barely qualified as high schoolmates.
Ramsey, the best NFL cornerback of his era, was the fifth overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 following a remarkable run at Florida State. Garland took his b-ball talents to Vanderbilt and was drafted fifth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019.
Ramsey led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl 56 championship in the 2021 season, and it’s certainly not premature to take measurements for his gold jacket. Garland, along with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, has helped the Cavaliers re-emerge as a contender in the East following LeBron James’ contender.
It’s not awfully rare to see Ramsey and Garland interact and support one another on X/Twitter, either. Ramsey got to see Garland follow in his footsteps, going from being a high school standout to being a college sensation to becoming a professional superstar. Life comes at ya fast, hey?
Lucas Giolito, Max Fried & Jack Flaherty
Not one, and not two, but three superstar athletes played the same sport on the same team at the same position. All three went on to become stars. When have you ever had something like this?
You know that song by Lionel Richie that goes, “Once….twice…three times a lady”?
So now imagine being a high school ball player. You face Lucas Giolito. That’s basically one guaranteed out. Max Fried makes it two. Jack Flaherty is three.
Once…twice…three guys you’re guaranteed to strike out against?
Few high schools in the United States can challenge the celebrity star power alumni from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, California. The list is so long that it has its own Wikipedia page, for crying out loud.
Anywho, the three MLB star pitchers were on the same Harvard-Westlake School baseball team together. Giolito and Fried are both ‘94s, and Flaherty was born in ‘95.
Fried was drafted seventh overall by the San Diego Padres in 2012. Nine picks later, Giolito went 16th overall to the Washington Nationals. In 2014, Flaherty himself was taken 34th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals.
All three emerged as top young starting pitchers following their jumps to the pros. Giolito was an All-Star on the Chicago White Sox in 2019, and Fried played a significant role in helping the Atlanta Braves to a World Series title in 2021.
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