Jason Barnes: See You On The Next Level

Jason Barnes picked South Carolina over North Carolina as his college choice, but he had one last thing to do before moving his allegiances south of the border: help lead his North Carolina Tar Heel Shrine Bowl team to a 23-16 victory over the South Carolina Sandlappers.

Barnes did just that, finishing as the leading receiver for North Carolina, with a team-high six catches for 67 yards.

GamecockAnthem.com caught up with the future Gamecock right after the 70th Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Saturday afternoon. Here’s what he had to say:

GA: Tell us about your game today.

JB: I just came out here to work hard, and have a big game in front of some big fans.

GA: Did you have fun interacting with your future teammates on the other side of the line?

JB: Oh yeah, that’s the biggest part, knowing you’re going to see those boys later on in your life. Through the game you just smile and compete and do your best and then say, 'See you on the next level.'

GA: What did this game mean to you personally?

JB: It’s big. It’s one of the biggest games in your life, right here. Playing against all-stars, you know whatever you do is going to matter. You can’t mess up, you've gotta play big.

GA: Tell me about the level of competition you’ve seen here.

JB: I’m used to just going up and catching the ball and breaking for touchdowns. Here, I’m going to get tackled hard, you've just got to get up and live to play another play.