The Clemson Insider spoke with Oconee High School’s (Bogart, Ga.) defensive back Khalil Barnes, who recapped his visit to Clemson this past weekend and gave the latest on where things stand with the Tigers.
Barnes — a 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior in the 2023 class was back on campus for Clemson’s annual Orange & White Spring Game on Saturday, April 9 at Memorial Stadium.
“I felt a lot better about the whole situation,” Barnes said. “It definitely moved Clemson up a ton. I really enjoyed the visit.”
When we spoke with Barnes after his junior day visit on Saturday, March 5, he didn’t really have an answer regarding a potential offer. Mickey Conn was able to give Barnes all the answers that he was searching for.
“This time when we went up there, Coach Conn was kind of explaining everything to me,” he said, “and was telling me the reason that all that has kind of been slow is because they were deciding as a staff whether they wanted to look at me or offer me as a safety or corner like they didn’t know which one. They thought I could fit better as someone who’s gonna be a versatile DB, but I would be getting offered by Coach Conn, who is the safeties coach.”
According to Barnes, Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach told him that the Tigers will be coming down to watch his spring practice(s), and from there, their involvement with him is going to start to ramp up.
“That conversation right there pushed it a lot,” Barnes said, “and just the whole way I was treated that trip. We got there pretty late because we were coming from Spring Break and there were a lot of things that I got to do that I know a lot of other kids didn’t get to do, like going in the locker room before the game. There’s only so many kids who can do that. And after the game, staying in the locker room and talking to the coaches and position guys. It really just felt like I was wanted there. It felt good.”
Prior to this past weekend’s visit, Barnes had been strengthening his bond with cornerbacks coach Mike Reed. It just so happened that Conn had the majority of Barnes’ focus this time around.
Barnes envisions that he’d be playing a similar position as Andrew Mukuba in Clemson’s defense. The sophomore safety is a chess piece on the backend of Clemson’s defense, who repped at both free and strong safety, nickel and corner through the spring.
“They like how versatile I am and how I play the game,” Barnes said. “They said I can play most of the defensive back positions within the defense. If (Mukuba’s) that versatile of a player that’s what I think I could be and bring to that defense.”
He feels that if he shows what he’s capable of doing in front of an audience this spring, then he’ll certainly be able to earn an offer from Clemson.
“It’d be even bigger for me because this spring is like when a lot of the schools that are pretty far that I talk to —Kent State, Oklahoma, Illinois — are coming to see me,” he said. “I know that if I perform for them, then they’re probably gonna send an offer this way too. Just getting them all at the same time and kind of knowing that Clemson would kind of have an edge, that’s big to me. It would kind of be a relief off my chest. Not to stop working, but knowing that a place I can see myself go is an option I have to play the game I love.”
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