Landon Curtis and J.T. Palmer saw their journey together reach new heights as both players signed full scholarships to their respective college on National Signing Day, which was held Feb. 2.

Both Curtis and Palmer grew up together. Since middle school when Curtis was the quarterback for CMS and Palmer was a receiver, the two have been close friends and teammates.

Though they have remained friends off the field they lost connection on the gridiron as both worked their way up the CHS varsity ladder.

This past season they reconnected and the sparks were evident. The pair connected on the field for 71 completions, which totaled 1,133 yards and led to 13 touchdowns. They helped lead the Jackets to a state runner-up, finish and a 14-1 record.

They made history against Buford, becoming the first teams to send a Championship Game into overtime.

On Wednesday, Palmer stepped up to the signing table first and put his name down on the dotted line to play football for Presbyterian College.

“Presbyterian offers a great education and an upcoming football program with a great staff and great kids to be around,” said Palmer. “It is also a very attractive campus.”

Palmer also looked at Navy, Air Force, Tennessee Tech and Eastern Kentucky before deciding on Presbyterian. Both the Navy and the Air Force offered him a full ride.

Landon sat down at the signing table next and promptly put down the ink, which will send him to Austin Peay.

Landon will head to the Tennessee school to play both football and baseball.

“It was a fun place, everybody knew each other, and it was nice town,” Curtis said about choosing Austin Peay. “The coaches were really nice and came to my house many times.”

Playing two sports at the college level will be a lot of work but Curtis is very away of what he will need to put in to make it work.

“It is going to take up a lot of time but it will keep me busy and keep me out of trouble,” said Curtis. “It should be a lot of fun.

Looking back at their high school careers, both Landon and Palmer enjoyed their time playing for Calhoun.

“Calhoun football is a blessing,” said Palmer. “You learn from great coaches who love the game and surround yourself with great athletes.”

“These were the best days of my life and just like everyone says, it flies by,” Curtis added. “You don’t really realize it until you sign to go to college.”

Both players had equally nice things to say about coach Hal Lamb.

“Coach Lamb is a coach but he is so much more than that,” said Palmer. “He is a mentor, has great character and instills that in his players.”

“I love Coach Lamb and we created a very tight bound,” Curtis added. “Even as a backup we were close because he was my position coach.”

Lamb also shared his sentiments about both players.

With Curtis, Lamb was impressed by his willingness to stick with the program and “wait his turn.”

“When you talk about Yellow Jacket football you think about Landon,” Lamb said. “He is very special in our eyes because he waited and was awarded with an unbelievable season.”

With Palmer, Lamb was particularly impressed with his athletic ability, which he noticed at an early age.

“J.T. is special and we saw this coming when he was in the eighth and ninth grade,” said Lamb. “His last two years were tremendous and he will do well at Presbyterian.”