Peach State defender Khalil Barnes commits to Clemson

Khalil Barnes switched sides in the ACC with his commitment to Clemson and picked the Tigers over Notre Dame with his finalists.

by TigerNet Staff - Fri Dec 16 11:40:10 GMT-04:00 2022

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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 won out in a battle with a recent on-field competitor for a Peach State defensive back Friday.

Three-star North Oconee (Ga.) 2023 defensive back target Khalil Barnes announced a commitment to the Tigers.

"The decision was really easy," Barnes said at the announcement, citing the family feel and staying close to home with Clemson.

Barnes was committed to Wake Forest from late June until October and added an offer from the Tigers the week before the teams met in Winston-Salem. When it came down to finalists, Barnes made trips to Clemson and Notre Dame, including for the meeting between the two on Nov. 5 in South Bend. He also listed Oklahoma as a finalist.

He is a second commitment this week for the 2023 class, joining Dutch Fork (SC) running back Jarvis Green to bring Clemson's class to 25 members and bumping the Tigers just ahead of Florida for the No. 10 spot in the 247Sports Team Composite rankings.

Barnes had a playoff performance recently with three touchdowns, including a 55-yard interception return and a 93-yard rushing score. He was named his region’s player of the year as a senior.

He was named a region player of the year and garnered first-team all-state selections as a junior. He totaled 30 tackles, 13 pass breakups, three interceptions and 2 forced fumbles on defense. On offense, he then caught 50 passes for 771 yards and nine scores while also rushing 22 times for 204 yards and 3 TDs.

Barnes attended Dabo Swinney camp in the summer.