Los Angeles, California (CNN)  -- The high school honor student and the NFL's highest-paid defensive back stroll down the destitute streets of Skid Row.



"I can sell you something right quick," a drug dealer hisses.



Another shouts, "Gonna whoop your ass!" More expletives are hurled.



Seventeen-year-old Kenneth Chancey is giving a tour to Nnamdi Asomugha, showing the NFL star the streets that he and his sister used to walk to get to school while living in a Skid Row homeless shelter. Prostitutes, addicts and drug dealers scatter. "Camera! Camera!" they shout.



The two make it safely past the park, one of the roughest areas of Los Angeles. An orange soda whizzes through the air, nearly hitting the teen and the Oakland Raiders' All-Pro cornerback worth $45 million.



"Wow," the teen says. "I'm sure they watch you every Sunday, and they don't even recognize who you are."



It is Kenneth's inner strength and his love for education that have brought together this high school class president and NFL star.



"The thing I took away is how fearless he is," Asomugha said later. "The things he's been through are so big and so severe -- they were threatening our lives and throwing things at us on Skid Row. But it doesn't bother him.



"His potential meter is at 1,000 right now."



Escaping through education



Even while Kenneth lived on Skid Row, he dreamed of attending Harvard to become a neurosurgeon. When Asomugha saw Kenneth's story on CNN, he wanted to help. He runs a foundation, the Asomugha College Tour for Scholars, that takes talented inner-city kids on tours of college campuses they otherwise would never be able to see. He's helped get 25 teens into college over the last four years.



On this day, he's come to tell Kenneth that he will be among the 16 students traveling in the spring to visit schools in Washington, D.C.



"I'm thankful to be able to give back," Asomugha said.



Hours before the Skid Row tour, Asomugha traveled to Hollywood's Helen Bernstein High School, where Kenneth is a starting running back in his senior year. They met at the school's football stadium, where Asomugha told Kenneth in person.



"This smile on my face," Kenneth said, "is a freaking good thing. This is awesome!"



Asomugha leaned closer. "You know who we're working on now?"



"Obama?" Kenneth asked nervously.



"We have to," the NFL star replied.



Kenneth's fever-pitched excitement reached a crescendo, "Oh my gosh!"



His father, Gordon Costello, joined in and handed a folded paper to Asomugha. The proud dad didn't show off football awards or his son's athletic achievements. Instead, it's Kenneth's latest report card, straight A's.



"He might overqualify for the tour," Asomugha said as he studied the report card. "This shows someone with a lot of drive and ambition. These are some great grades."



"I'm at a loss for words," the teen said. "Stuff like this doesn't happen every day."



Asomugha came from a family where education was stressed from day one. He remembers asking his mom as a boy, "Can I have some ice cream?"



"No," she responded. "You haven't finished your homework."



"I'd say, 'but I'm 3!' "



Asomugha's sister is a pediatrician, his mother holds a doctorate. Two other siblings have secondary degrees.



"I am the least educated in my family," Asomugha said. "I catch a lot of heat from my family."



The football star, who is the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history, has a degree in finance from the University of California-Berkeley.



Kenneth is energized
What does the star help? Where will Chancey and 19 other kids go? What NFL star decided to help a homeless teen? What is the age of Kenneth Chancey? What grades did Kenneth Chancey make? How many kids will Asomugha take on a college tour this spring? How many other inner-city kids will Asomugha be taking?
talented inner-city kids tours of college campuses Asomugha Seventeen-year-old straight A's. 16 16
question: What does the star help?, answer: talented inner-city kids | question: Where will Chancey and 19 other kids go?, answer: tours of college campuses | question: What NFL star decided to help a homeless teen?, answer: Asomugha | question: What is the age of Kenneth Chancey?, answer: Seventeen-year-old | question: What grades did Kenneth Chancey make?, answer: straight A's. | question: How many kids will Asomugha take on a college tour this spring?, answer: 16 | question: How many other inner-city kids will Asomugha be taking?, answer: 16