Clemson signee analysis: S Khalil Barnes

Khalil Barnes committed to Clemson recently and signed on Wednesday.

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Dec 21 07:48:23 GMT-04:00 2022

Khalil Barnes - Safety
TigerNet: (3.42)

Height: 6-1 Weight: 185 Hometown: Bogart, GA (North Oconee HS) Class: 2023

ESPN:

#49 ATH, #54 GA

Rivals:

#15 ATH, #43 GA

24/7:

#30 ATH, #48 GA

Clemson added to its future defense late in the 2023 cycle with a former commitment to another ACC school.

More on North Oconee (Ga.) defensive back Khalil Barnes…

Signee analysis: Khalil Barnes - 3-star S - Athens, Ga.

Committed since: 12/16/22.

Listed size: 6-1 185.

Notable: Barnes was committed to Wake Forest until October and picked Clemson out of a finalist group that had Notre Dame and Oklahoma as well. He tallied 44 tackles, eight interceptions, seven pass breakups and a force fumble and caught 53 passes for 879 yards and eight scores and rushed for 442 yards and seven more TDs as a senior, where he was named a region player of the year. He was also the region player of the year as a junior with 13 pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Other FBS offers he reported include Duke, Georgia Tech, Kansas State and Purdue among more.

Mickey Conn on Barnes: "Khalil is very dynamic...He can cover. He's physical. He's got great ball skills. He's very dynamic as a punt returner and a kick returner...Just great change of direction. A really great addition to the class of '23."

Quotable: “I like the way they played. It didn’t look like anything I’d never seen or something I couldn’t do as an athlete. I just feel comfortable with it. Coach Conn has a lot of confidence in his guys. We were talking afterwards and there was a play Andrew Mukuba gave up. Coach Conn got on to him because that’s a play Andrew has got to make. That stood out to me because most coaches, it’s like it’s just one catch and it’s OK. It just seems like he has a ton of confidence in his players.” - Barnes said of what he saw in Clemson for the Syracuse game.

Depth chart fit: Barnes figures to plug in at safety in a spot that has a mix of youth and experience. Barnes was a playmaker at the high school level and Clemson hasn’t shied away from playing youth in the secondary. Starters in Andrew Mukuba and RJ Mickens, as well as rising true sophomore Sherrod Covil and rising senior Tyler Venables, are slated to be back and Kylon Griffin is a freshman who redshirted there as well.

Clemson bio

Rankings: Listed as No. 20 athlete in the country by Rivals, which also listed him as the No. 42 overall player in Georgia … On3 ranked him as No. 14 athlete and 53rd-best player in Georgia.

In High School: Helped North Oconee to a 13-1 record and a spot in the state semifinals in 2022 … team won its first 13 games of the year and helped coach Tyler Aurandt earn 4A Coach of the Year honors … earned Region 8-4A Player of the Year, as voted by the state’s coaches, in both 2021 and 2022 … 2021 all-state selection … played on both sides of the ball, seeing action at receiver and defensive back … in 2022, scored 18 total touchdowns, scoring on offense, defense and special teams … recorded 35 rushes for 442 yards (12.6 avg.) including a long run of 93 yards and seven rushing touchdowns … recorded 53 receptions for 879 yards (16.6 avg.) with eight touchdown receptions … registered 44 tackles, three tackles for loss, eight interceptions, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble defensively in 2022 … scored twice on defense … posted 13 kick returns for 231 yards, including a 57-yard punt return for a score … had a superlative all-purpose performance against Cedar Shoals in 2022 when he caught eight passes for 142 yards with two touchdowns at receiver in addition to recording a rushing touchdown and a pick-six, giving him four total touchdowns in that game … wore No. 1 at North Oconee High School.

Personal: Born Feb. 28, 2005 … committed to Clemson on Dec. 16, 2022 … originally committed to Wake Forest … later narrowed college decisions to Clemson, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, the first two of which recruited him as a defensive player and the latter of which pursued him as a receiver … expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2023 … first name pronounced “CUH-leel.”