CHARLOTTE — Sometimes in life, you just need your buddy and your mama. The NFL is a dream for so many, and one that is a privilege to live out. But the days can be long, the responsibility weighty, and it means being away from family and friends for months at a time.

So if there's a way to combine those two things with a dream career? It seems almost too good to be true. But that's the life Corey Bullock and Torricelli Simpkins III are living right now.

The two were teammates before, at North Carolina Central University. Bullock played left tackle, and Simpkins played center.

"Most of the time he told me what to do," joked Bullock.

Even after Simpkins transferred to South Carolina for his final year and Bullock to Maryland, the two stayed close, already bonded for life and committed to keeping that alive the way many guys their age do: playing video games together, even when miles apart.

A month ago, they were playing NBA 2K with a few other college friends, connected by headsets and the desire to beat each other, when Simpkins, who the Saints had just waived in final roster cuts, got a phone call. He paused his action in the game for a few minutes, took the call, then returned and said nothing…until a few minutes later, Bullock, waived by the Ravens the day before, also got a call, returned, and had to share his good news.

"I said, 'What you're doing?," relayed Simpkins. "(Corey's) like, 'I'm going to Carolina.' I said, 'What? Me too.' It was crazy. So it was definitely big for both of us, and coming into a group, a new room, it's nice to see some familiar faces."

Added Bullock, "Honestly, it's like a dream come true because when you're at like the level we were at, we always dream about being at the next level. So it's cool to see us working hard and being on the same team.

"We never talked about it being together, but we said to ourselves back in the season when we won the (HBCU) national championship (in 2022), if we want to take it seriously, get to the next level, these are the things we have to do. We kind of did that together."

Simpkins, a Charlotte native who played high school ball at Olympic High, spent his first season in the NFL 10 hours away with the New Orleans Saints. When he got the call at the end of August, he was signed to the Panthers practice squad (he was promoted to the active roster a month later), and it meant a chance to come home to a family that'd missed their leader.

"It's amazing. I get to see my family every day. That's a huge blessing. I was 10 hours away from them. So that was a little hard on my younger siblings because I'm the oldest, so my younger siblings look up to me. They want me to come to their games," shared a grinning Simpkins, explaining that as the oldest of six, he's "definitely raised a good amount" of his siblings, and now they're all benefiting from "TT" being back home.

"So now I can come to more games and see them more," said Simpkins. "My little brother, he's starting to play football now. So every time he does something good, he's like, 'Oh, I'm being like TT.'"

And of course being home has one massive perk.

"Oh, they feed me for sure. Unfortunately, I do my own laundry. But food, I definitely hit my mom up every day," he laughed, mimicking the call he makes every day. "'Mom, what are you making? What are you cooking tonight?' She be getting tired of it."

But such are the spoils of returning to your hometown.

While Bullock might not be at home anymore, after playing much of his ball in a close radius to his hometown of Brandywine, Md., his mom makes sure every kickoff feels like home.

"She don't miss a game," Bullock bragged of his mom, Natasha. "It gives me extra motivation. That's what I love about my mama. That's what you call support. She just sends me a text, like a grit message, so I know she's always there with me."

Football is family, too, and for Simpkins and Bullock, stepping into a room and seeing a familiar face has made a world of difference. And for Simpkins, he had two faces: Bullock and center Luke Fortner, who was also in New Orleans last season.

"Oh, it helps a lot," nodded Simpkins. "Those two guys are huge on my list, like great teammates and great friends, and getting to know both of them. I already knew Corey. I've known Corey for so long. That's one of my best friends."

"Going out there, going to war with those guys, playing with those guys, I know they're going to communicate well. They know I'm going to communicate well with them. So that's just a lot of chemistry already built together. So that's definitely a good thing having those two guys up there already."

Bullock got his first start with the Panthers in Week 4 on  Sunday Night Football. With injuries and shuffling along the line, the two could soon find themselves not only in a locker room together, but on the field together. It'll be just like old times, in a way that always felt fated.

"It's honestly a blessing if you ask me because you've got somebody to lean on," mused Bullock. "Also, you've got somebody to talk to outside of football, and you got things in your mind. So him being here is a blessing for me, and I love it."