5 Questions with Eastside football senior, Georgia Tech commit Jayden Barr
NCJ Sports Staff
Eastside’s Jayden Barr (11) makes a move down the field against Hiram during the Eagles’ 48-21 win on Friday August 23, 2024 at Hiram, Georgia. The Georgia Tech commit has already scored more than a half-dozen touchdowns combined through the first two games of his senior season. | Photo by Dave Williamson
COVINGTON, Ga. — By all accounts, Jayden Barr has had a stellar weekend.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Eastside running back and safety has helped his team to a 2-0 record and and a big rivalry win against Newton — both firsts for Eastside football since 2018.
Friday night at Hiram, Barr made his presence felt on both sides of the ball, scoring touchdowns and making plays that helped his Eagles to a 48-21 victory on the road against a solid 2023 Class AAAA playoff team.
Then, to top it all off, the 3-star prospect watched his future football team, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, knock off the 10th-ranked Florida State Seminoles in Dublin, Ireland Saturday to kick off the 2024 college football season.
The senior committed to Georgia Tech back in mid June several days after a visit, choosing the Yellow Jackets over the likes of Boston College, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, East Carolina, Appalachian State and Marshall.
We caught up with Jayden just hours after Tech’s upset win to chat with him about all things football, including his fast start to his senior season and his excitement about his future football home.
NEWTON COUNTY JOUNRAL: You’re off to a great start this season individually and as a team. What do you feel like is the reason for that? What factors have contributed to you all playing so well this year?
JAYDEN BARR: “I feel, personally, our coaches have done everything in their power to prepare our guys for this season, and we have leaders everywhere on this football team. We know our standard of football, and we’re just taking each game one at a time.”
NCJ: How good did it feel to beat Newton in your senior year, and why did it feel so good?
BARR: “The past few years we haven’t had the luck they have with depth. We don’t scout players from everywhere like them. So to beat them with the players we got felt good, but it was expected. We meant straight business.”
NCJ: How have you improved as a player from last year until now?
BARR: “I’ve gotten better working on my footwork and just my overall understanding with the sport, and just with knowing what every position is doing on the field to understand how to do my job from my position better.”
Eastside’s Jayden Barr leaps for a grab during the Eagles’ 48-21 win at Hiram on Friday August 23, 2024. | Photo by Dave Williamson.
NCJ: You excel on both sides of the ball. Which side is your favorite? Do you like giving contact as a safety or taking it as a running back?
BARR: “Football just comes natural to me on both sides of the ball, but my heart’s definitely on defense. I love the contact, and really, just challenging myself. DBs do everything wide receivers do, except we do it backwards. So I feel like it’s the hardest position to play on the field.”
NCJ: Finally, we’re sure you saw how your future team, Georgia Tech, opened the college football season with a huge win. How excited are you to see that, knowing that’s where you’ll be playing next fall?
BARR: “For me, it’s wasn’t a surprise at all to see them play like that and win. When I visited Georgia Tech, the coaches made it clear they were rebuilding last year, and they’re really trying to make a run this year. So there is plenty more wins against major teams coming for them, and knowing we have the ability to beat big teams coming in as a freshman only motivates me to give my all to contribute to the program. So it’s definitely, ‘Go jackets’ with me.”