Wide receiver TJ Thorpe announces intent to transfer to UVa.

The South's Oldest Rivalry just got a little more heated.

Earlier in 2014, North Carolina junior wide receiver T.J. Thorpe announced his intent to transfer at the end of the season. After weeks of thought, he finally announced via Twitter on Monday where he would finish out his collegiate career.

Thorpe's destination? 

The University of Virginia.

"Originally I looked to schools that UNC did not play," Thorpe said. "I told my teammates that I was going to try my best to either leave the ACC or be at a school that did not play them and it just so happened that Virginia, being one of my top schools coming out of high school, was one of the only schools that offered me a scholarship to play.

"Naturally I'm gonna try to go to school wherever it's free first, and it just so happened that it was them."

Coming out of Jordan High in Durham, Thorpe — the No. 88 prospect in the ESPNU 150 — was one of the most highly recruited players in the nation. But his time with the Tar Heels has been marred by injury.

After being named an All-ACC honorable mention as a freshman returner, Thorpe broke his foot for the first time during training camp in 2012. He would miss the entire season.

Over the next two seasons, the Durham native would break his foot twice more, including most recently at the start of training camp in 2014.

"Granted, injuries have been a part of my career at Carolina, but I would say the bulk of (the reason I am transferring) — really all of it — has a lot to do with other things that went on that I either didn't agree with or just felt like I needed to move on," Thorpe said. "Just a lot of things weren't fitting right."

Thorpe missed the first two games of the 2014 season, returning for UNC's 70-41 loss at ECU.

But the junior didn't fully round into form until five weeks later, when he caught what turned out to be a game-winning touchdown. But against whom?

None other than the University of Virginia.

Now, as he preps for the final chapter in his collegiate career, Thorpe is prepared to join forces with the same team he recently helped defeat.

"They (the players at Virginia) mentioned it, and everyone's been asking, 'Oh, how is he gonna catch the game-winning touchdown and then come over after?'" Thorpe said. "But me, personally, I've actually been giving their players a hard time because … not only did I catch the game-winning touchdown pass, but it's a universal rivalry between receivers and (defensive backs). So I've definitely given their DBs a headache as far as talking to them. 

"I've given them their just due as far as it being a rivalry and me being on the team that beat them, so I think it might be time for me to let them live a little bit and move on."

sports@dailytarheel.com