Flights from Georgia to the Bay Area carrying recruits to visit Stanford has become common in the past couple weeks. JD Bertrand, a 2019 linebacker from Roswell, made the trip for the Cardinal's April 7-8 Junior Day weekend.
Bertrand is a talented prospect from Blessed Trinity Catholic who reports offers from Georgia, LSU and Iowa State.
Bertrand was joined by four other Georgians for a total of five of the nine visitors on The Farm that weekend. And Bertrand was familiar with one of the other families from the Peach State, the Hintons. Fellow sophomore Christopher Hinton Jr. and his freshman brother Myles.
"I met them in third grade for AAU basketball," he said. "And then we played together in fifth grade and their dad was our coach. And then from there on I’ve just been good friends with them. I’ve known them for a while and we’ve grown closer to each other.
"It was fun because we both got to put our perspectives together, our opinions, and what we thought. And it was to fun to know somebody else and hang out with them more. We don’t go to the same schools so we don’t get to hang out as much."
There was another reason for Bertrand to feel comfortable on his trip to California. He has three aunts and grand parents who live in Southern California. While maybe not a major factor, he considered it a nice bonus that if he needed some time with family he could drive to see relatives rather than have to arrange a flight to Georgia.
"I’m not too concerned about (distance), I just want to find the right college for me," he said. "If I feel like I like the campus, the coaches, I like everything then that will become my new home. I just want to find the right college."
Bertrand complimented the Stanford recruiting staffs ability to fill the two days the recruits had to see as much of what the university has to offer as possible. He and his family started planning to make the trip a couple months ago when his high school coach talked to Cardinal defensive coordinator Lance Anderson.
Anderson encouraged Bertrand to stay in touch and that they would be out to Georgia in the spring to watch a practice.
"The football side is great," he said of the visit. "The coaches were great. The campus is beautiful, and with all that comes a great education, so it’s everything you could want."
"I like that Coach (Peter) Hansen has experience in the NFL and understands that side of it. And all of the coaches have great experience."
A highlight of the visit was a familiar popular attraction for recruits, the virtual reality lab.
"That was sweet," he said. "You definitely get the feel of being at practice and being able to get your reads. It was really cool."
And putting in extra time studying -- whether it be football or a textbook -- fits in Bertrand's character. An Eagle scout with a 4.0 GPA, the young Georgian and his family clearly prioritize education, and a well-rounded one at that.
He is taking a measured approach to his recruitment. He understands that with almost two years before he walks onto a college campus he has plenty of time to make the right choice.
