KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some fun messages supporting University of Tennessee athletics are scattered around LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
East Tennessee native Nick Barnes was part of the group that installed jumbotrons and other fixtures at the venue in 2014.
They won't be easy to spot while attending a game, but a "Go Vols" message is written in Sharpie near the Tiger head for the "Welcome to Death Valley" sign. Another "UT" message was also welded on the north end zone scoreboard.
One of Barnes' friends shared some photos on social media, and the pictures picked up traction with fans sharing the tweet.
"I honestly didn't know about it," Barnes said with a laugh. "They had been on my Facebook page for eight years."
Barnes won't shy away when it is time to talk about the Vols. He was watching the game Saturday when Tennessee came away with a 40-13 win in Baton Rouge against the Tigers.
At halftime, he spoke with 10News about what led him to leave his mark at the stadium.
"We were out there building the jumbotrons at Tiger Stadium and I left a few marks to let them know who built them for them," Barnes said with a smile. "It wasn't done out of being malicious, to be rude or disrespectful. It was just all in fun. It's just to remind them what Volunteers came down and built that for them. Everybody down there, the fans, the staff, treated us with respect and hospitality. No matter how much orange I wore."
During another project, Barnes also left a "Go Vols" message welded message on the Independence Bowl scoreboard in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Barnes also said he's excited to see how the Vols are faring this year on the gridiron.
"I'll always bleed orange," he said.
He also alluded to a time where he left a message on the scoreboard at Vanderbilt's baseball stadium. He said he sent a picture to one of his two uncles, who are fans of the Commodores. During a baseball game, while people saw the photo and shared a laugh, the school's athletic director was actually sitting behind them the uncle.
Barnes said he made sure the message disappeared from the scoreboard and took it upon himself to apologize to the school official. The AD thanked Barnes for the comment and shared a laugh over the ordeal.
"That is all I ever care to do in this world is just pass along a smile to everyone I can," he said. "Life is hard sometimes and something as simple as a smile can completely turn someone's day around.