Tag: Khalil Barnes

Promising Peach State DB, ACC commit reports Clemson offer

Clemson handed out a new offer to a class of 2023 prospect on Thursday. Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee High School’s Khalil Barnes reported the offer via social media. Barnes – a 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior in the class of 2023 -competed in the Dabo …

Clemson handed out a new offer to a class of 2023 prospect on Thursday.

Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee High School’s Khalil Barnes reported the offer via social media.

Barnes — a 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior in the class of 2023 —competed in the Dabo Swinney Camp in June. He proved to himself then that he was worthy of a Clemson offer, though he returned home without one.

“They didn’t offer, but I had a really good talk with Coach (Mickey)  Conn,” Barnes told The Clemson Insider back in June. “They are kind of waiting to see what happens this weekend if anyone commits. He told me I should know as early as next week or as late as the end of the month if they’re going to do it.

“It’s a business and I can’t be mad at that. I’m honestly really happy with that because (Coach) Conn told me to my face that I can easily play football at Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and all the big places. He also told me I was the best coverage DB they have had at camp all week.”

Now, Barnes, who verbally pledged to Dave Clawson’s program on June 28, has a Clemson offer in hand.

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Swinney Camp an ‘eye-opener’ for impressive Georgia DB

Camping at Clemson was a personal confidence booster for Khalil Barnes, a fast-rising three-star defensive back out of Bogart’s (Ga.) North Oconee High School. Barnes – a 6-foot-1, 185-pound rising senior – proved to himself at Thursday’s Dabo …

Camping at Clemson was a personal confidence booster for Khalil Barnes, a fast-rising three-star defensive back out of Bogart’s (Ga.) North Oconee High School.

Barnes — a 6-foot-1, 185-pound rising senior — proved to himself at Thursday’s Dabo Swinney Camp that he was worthy of a Clemson offer, though he returned home without one.

That doesn’t mean a Clemson scholarship offer isn’t coming his way soon, though.

“It was a personal eye-opener for me,” Barnes told The Clemson Insider. “I know the coaches that were there on (Thursday), they were really impressed. They saw me on film, they saw what I did, but for them to see me work in person and move how I move, cover how I cover and everything, I know they were impressed. It was a productive day.”

Barnes worked out during Thursday’s morning session but did not participate in the Swinney Camp that afternoon. Instead, he spectated and talked at length with Clemson senior safety Jalyn Phillips. Conn told him that he did not need to work out during the afternoon portion of events and that they would have an in-depth conversation afterward.

“They didn’t offer, but I had a really good talk with Coach Conn,” Barnes said. “They are kind of waiting to see what happens this weekend if anyone commits. He told me I should know as early as next week or as late as the end of the month if they’re going to do it.

“It’s a business and I can’t be mad at that. I’m honestly really happy with that because (Coach) Conn told me to my face that I can easily play football at Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and all the big places. He also told me I was the best coverage DB they have had at camp all week.”

Conn was honest and upfront with Barnes and his father. According to Barnes, at the end of that whole conversation, Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach said that he would totally understand if they both hated him and Clemson, after having not pulled the trigger on an offer Thursday.

Barnes got into the car and the first thing he told his dad is that Clemson was still a top-five school for him, even without that offer.

“I know a lot of coaches that have offered wouldn’t have had the guts to tell me what he just said in that room and looked me in my eyes and told me,” Barnes said. “He wasn’t even telling me that it’s not gonna come…He thinks I can play at Clemson, Bama, Georgia and all these other schools.”

Conn told Barnes that if he gets those other offers, he doesn’t want him to wait for him because it’s Clemson. At the end of the day, Khalil Barnes has to do what’s best for Khalil Barnes.

According to Barnes, Clemson invited him to be a part of the program’s official visit weekend from June 3-5. While Barnes was flattered, he said that he wouldn’t have felt right taking an official visit to a school that he doesn’t have an offer from yet.

Instead, Barnes came out there on Thursday to prove that his film doesn’t lie.

“My workout videos show that I’m fast, I’m a quick guy with good hips, can cover and got good ball skills,” he said. “I just kind of showed them everything (Thursday) and them telling me I could take the afternoon session off and just kind of get off my feet, it proved to me that I proved to them that I can play.”

All in all, Barnes is expecting an offer in the coming weeks.

Another reason why Clemson didn’t offer Barnes, is the Tigers want to see how this weekend plays out. Conn didn’t want to offer Barnes without that offer being committable. When Conn offers Barnes, he wants the Peach State defensive back to be able to call him back five minutes later with his commitment.

“He doesn’t want there to be any exceptions,” Barnes explained.

Clemson has two guys ahead of Barnes on its board right now. Once those two guys make their decisions, Barnes expects to be getting a call. 

Right now, Barnes has an official visit set to Purdue for next week. He’s talked about setting up other ones, but this is the only one he has locked in at this moment in time.

Peach State DB felt like he was ‘wanted’ during latest Clemson visit

T he 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 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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Georgia DB’s bond with Reed has ‘definitely gotten stronger’ entering Saturday’s visit

On Monday afternoon, The Clemson Insider caught up with a fast-rising defensive back, who has set a return visit to campus and will be in attendance for Clemson’s spring game on Saturday, April 9, at Memorial Stadium. North Oconee High School’s …

On Monday afternoon, The Clemson Insider caught up with a fast-rising defensive back, who has set a return visit to campus and will be in attendance for Clemson’s spring game on Saturday, April 9, at Memorial Stadium.

North Oconee High School’s (Bogart, Ga.) Khalil Barnes touched on his current recruitment and what he’s been hearing from the Tigers since he was last on campus for Clemson’s second junior day of the year on Saturday, March 5.

“I still talk with Coach (Mike) Reed a lot,” Barnes said. “It’s still a lot of good talks. We talk at least twice a week. I’m going back up next Saturday, but every time we talk it’s just about life, it’s not a lot of football.”

How would Barnes say his relationship has developed with Clemson’s cornerbacks coach since he was last on campus?

“It’s definitely gotten stronger because I met him in person,” Barnes said. “He’s not different from the way he is on the phone. I like it and I respect him and I have a really good bond with him.”

After Clemson, Barnes made visits to Georgia, Tennessee and Georgia State. He’s also since added offers from Purdue and Wofford.

When asked about a potential Clemson offer, Barnes provided a timeline of events for how things may transpire.

He said that Reed will be coming down to his high school for spring practice, which will be from May 2-13. According to Barnes, Reed wants to see how he moves in person and if he moves well enough in person, Clemson could potentially offer him then.

Barnes is also supposed to come back up to Clemson on June 2 to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp and run a few things for the Tigers then too.

As far as his recruitment is concerned, Barnes is happy to have some high-profile offers rolling, but he understands that his process could become a bit more hectic as he figures out where he would want to go and where he’d likely fit best.

“I would say I’m in a good place right now,” he said. “I’m hearing from a lot of coaches from places that I can see myself going to and that I want to go to, but I’m not at the place I want to be at. I’m happy where I’m at, though.”

When he’s back on campus this Saturday, what is Barnes looking to see?

“I know I saw the practices, so I kind of just want to see what their defense looks like when it’s full-go,” he said, “and kind of see the role their DBs play and how they move and how I could see myself fitting in there.”

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Fast-rising Georgia DB says Clemson is ‘the place to be’

A Peach State defensive back drawing interest from Clemson made his way to campus for Clemson’s second junior day of the year on Saturday, March 5. The Clemson Insider recently caught up with North Oconee High School’s (Bogart, Ga.) Khalil Barnes, …

A Peach State defensive back drawing interest from Clemson made his way to campus for Clemson’s second junior day of the year on Saturday, March 5.

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with North Oconee High School’s (Bogart, Ga.) Khalil Barnes, who recapped his first visit to Clemson’s campus in an exclusive interview.

“You couldn’t explain it,” Barnes said. “It exceeded a lot of the expectations I had for it. I feel like a lot of them, I know I haven’t talked to them. I had never talked to Coach (Tyler) Grisham. I never talked to Coach (Dab) Swinney. There were a lot of guys that I had never texted, but they didn’t have to look at my name tag or anything, they already knew who I was, knew the information about me.

“That tells me that them and the other coaching staff do their homework. I heard a lot of good things from the coaches. I really like that place. I think Clemson’s the place to be.”

What was Barnes’ favorite part of the visit?

“Probably when we either did P.A.W Journey or when Coach Swinney was talking at the end,” he said, “because he kind of explained to us his philosophy of things and telling us about their recruiting process. He does not take things fast and I respect that from them because they’ve never had the No. 1 recruiting class, but they’re consistently a top-five team in the nation every year. That just shows how he and his coaching staff are able to develop kids and turn them into great players at some point in their careers.”

Barnes spent the majority of his time on campus with Clemson co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Mickey Conn and cornerbacks coach Mike Reed.

“With Coach Reed, we just talked about how he said that he’s gonna come up during my spring practice,” Barnes said. “He was just asking me how I liked everything and he was keeping it real. We had a cornerback meeting and he was making sure I was engaged and understanding the way they play corner, as well as picking up on some techniques and stuff.”

When Barnes spoke with Swinney and Reed about a potential offer, they were explaining to him how Clemson’s process works. It was his first time on campus and he’s only been in contact with Reed now for a little over two months. 

According to Barnes, they were telling him that they don’t like to offer kids based on hype. They want to make sure they get the right type of guys in their program.

“I respect that,” he said. “It wasn’t no set day of when they’re gonna offer or everything. “It was kind of just them telling me that they want to get to know me more. They like my skill set, but they want to keep getting me on campus and make sure I’m interested in Clemson. We’ll kinda see how it goes from there.”

How does he feel about that?

“Obviously, they didn’t tell me that ‘If you come to Junior Day, then you’ll get a scholarship offer to Clemson,'” Barnes said. “It wasn’t nothing like that. But, I did have it in the back of my head that I’m going here and this is a really nice school. Obviously, I want to get the offer, but I’m glad that they didn’t lie to me. I liked that they were straight up.

“They can’t tell me the day they’re gonna offer. They can’t tell me when it’s gonna come. They can’t promise if it’s gonna happen. They set the ground rules of how it works for every recruit and every prospect. I respect that and I’m glad that they didn’t try to false advertise. They kept it straight up with me.”

Barnes texted Conn the day after his visit to tell him it was a humbling experience. The fast-rising defensive back has received a lot of national attention from Power Five schools and he went to Clemson and felt like he received a reality check.

“I’m not gonna take it personally because I can’t blame them,” he said. “They’re obviously doing something right. They’ve had 11 straight 10-win seasons, so it’s not like they’re getting the wrong guys. but it definitely did motivate me to go work and try to get to the point where I am on their radar and offer-ready for them.”

Barnes knows for a fact that he’ll be back on Clemson’s campus. Whether it’s for another spring practice or the team’s spring game on April 9, he’s unsure, but he’s already aiming to make a return trip to Tiger Town.

Regardless of an offer, the Tigers certainly did a lot to help themselves in Barnes’ recruitment earlier this month.

“That’s the first (visit) I’ve been on so far, but that set the standard,” he said. “I’m willing to put in 100%. If I get the opportunity to have a scholarship and play there, they’ll be in the conversation when it’s all said and done.”

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Top talent flocking to Tiger Town for Clemson’s ‘spring elite day’

Clemson is set to host a slew of top prospects today for its second junior day of the year, which the Tigers are dubbing their “spring elite day” for recruits in the class of 2023. Among the headliners expected to be in attendance is Central (Phenix …

Clemson is set to host a slew of top prospects today for its second junior day of the year, which the Tigers are dubbing their “spring elite day” for recruits in the class of 2023.

Among the headliners expected to be in attendance is Central (Phenix City, Ala.) five-star A.J. Harris, the nation’s No. 2 cornerback and No. 17 overall prospect in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder has made multiple trips to Tiger Town and is a priority target for the Tigers. Last September, he released a top seven comprised of Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio State.

Harris will be joined on campus by a host of other talented defensive backs, including Harris’ teammate at Central, cornerback Quintavious Billingsley; Lake Mary (Fla.) four-star cornerback Braedan Marshall; Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) three-star cornerback Colton Hood; Daniel (Central, S.C.) cornerback Misun Kelley; North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.) cornerback Khalil Barnes; Loachapoka (Auburn, Ala.) cornerback Jacorious Hart; Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) three-star safety Robert Billings; and A.C. Reynolds (Asheville, N.C.) safety Dashawn Stone.

Another headliner slated to be on hand for the spring elite day is Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) four-star offensive lineman Monroe Freeling.

It will mark his first visit to Clemson since attending the Florida State game in late October of last year. He was also on campus last June to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp, after which he picked up an offer from the Tigers.

Freeling said during a recent interview with The Clemson Insider that the Tigers “stand highly” in his recruitment heading into today’s visit.

“I really loved the culture there when I first went up and I’ve been maintaining a good relationship with (offensive line) coach (Thomas) Austin,” he said, “and I’m just looking forward to growing it some more when I get out there.”

Along with Clemson, which is heavily pursuing Freeling, he named Miami and Notre Dame as a couple of schools that have been recruiting him the hardest.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Freeling is the No. 1 prospect in South Carolina, No. 9 offensive tackle nationally and No. 82 overall prospect for the 2023 class.

South Point (Belmont, N.C.) four-star offensive lineman Sullivan Absher will also return to Clemson after picking up an offer from the Tigers in February – an offer that he told TCI he “had been working for, for a very long time.”  He previously traveled to Clemson twice during this past season – first for the Boston College game in October and then for the Wake Forest game in November.

Another big-time offensive lineman will be on campus today as well in Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) four-star tackle Zechariah Owens.

As for the defensive linemen expected to be among the junior day visitors, there are several prominent prospects, namely St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) four-star David Ojiegbe, Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.) four-star Hunter Osborne, Rome (Ga.) four-star Stephiylan Green, Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Ga.) four-star T.J. Searcy and Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) four-star A.J. Hoffler.

A bunch of other standout class of 2023 prospects are on the expected guest list for the spring elite day, as well, including Hickory Ridge (Harrisburg, N.C.) four-star wide receiver Christian Hamilton; Bridgeland (Cypress, Texas) four-star tight end Reid Mikeska; Denmark (Alpharetta, Ga.) four-star linebacker Dee Crayton; Fairfax (Va.) four-star linebacker Tony Rojas; F.W. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.) three-star wide receiver Creed Whittemore; Maiden (N.C.) High School three-star wide receiver Chris Culliver; Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) three-star athlete Jordan Bass; Sumter (S.C.) athlete Zyeir Gamble; and Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) running back Jarvis Green.

A few notable 2024 prospects are planning to visit Clemson today, too, in Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Fla.) four-star defensive back Tavoy Feagin, Weddington (Matthews, N.C.) tight end Brooks Mauk and Towers (Decatur, Ga.) wide receiver/cornerback Keshawn Weathers.

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Georgia DB in contact with Clemson, plans to visit next month

During January, a lot of college coaches came by North Oconee High School (Bogart, Ga.), which is home to an under-the-radar prospect in the 2023 class by the name of Khalil Barnes. Programs like Clemson, came by North Oconee to do their due …

During January, a lot of college coaches came by North Oconee High School (Bogart, Ga.), which is home to an under-the-radar prospect in the 2023 class by the name of Khalil Barnes. 

Programs like Clemson, came by North Oconee to do their due diligence and inquire about some prospects like Barnes.

Mickey Conn, who obviously, still has deep ties to the area from his days at Grayson High School, made his rounds on the recruiting trail last month, especially in the Peach State.

According to Barnes, his head coach, Tyler Aurandt, told him that Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach had asked about him. It’s all happened pretty quickly from there.

“I’ve talked to Coach Conn and Coach Reed,” Barnes told The Clemson Insider. “They like me as a DB. They like my size and they invited me to their elite day on March 5. I talked to Coach Conn a lot and I really like the guy.”

Barnes already has some ties to Conn and Clemson. He was teammates with Bubba Chandler, who signed with the Tigers as a part of Clemson’s 2021 recruiting class. Though in turn, he elected to pursue a professional baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which drafted him in the third round of the MLB draft.

Additionally, Aurandt coached with Conn at Grayson. He served as the high school’s offensive coordinator, quarterbacks and running backs coach from 2011-14. Conn, of course, coached at Grayson from 2000-15.

“They said that he’s a really good guy and they like him,” Barnes said of Conn. “Right now, I feel like I talk to him the most out of any head coach, who’s recruiting me. I like him a lot. I will talk to him about football, but then it’ll go from football to just kind of talking about life. He tells me that they really want to get me up there on March 5.”

Barnes feels like almost every day he talks to Conn and he just started talking with Clemson cornerbacks coach Mike Reed.

“Both show real good energy and from what I’ve heard from peers, they’re both really good guys at a really good place,” he added.

What does it mean to Barnes to hear from a school like Clemson?

“It’s big because we get a lot of stuff at our high school from Clemson, just from the culture and the way they run things, in respect to Dabo [Swinney] and how he does things,” he said. “If I get the offer, it’d be a blessing. I talked about it with Bubba [Chandler] every night and he was telling me how much he loves Clemson and how great of a school it is.”

Barnes has talked about Clemson’s history of developing defensive backs with his family. As soon as heard from Conn, he had a 30-minute conversation with his father about what Clemson has been able to produce the past couple of years with guys like A.J. Terrell, Trayon Mullen and Andrew Booth, Jr.

“It feels good knowing that I’m even on their radar right now,” Barnes said.

While Barnes is listed by some recruiting services as a wide receiver, Clemson is recruiting him as a defensive back, hence why Conn and Reed have served as his primary recruiters up until this point.

How would he describe himself as a player to someone who may not have seen him play before?

“A lot of things I post on Twitter, I call myself a playmaker,” Barnes said. “I feel like if it’s a third down in a game, everyone in the stadium could know I’m getting the ball, but I still feel like I can make a play no matter what, offensively. And then defensively, I feel that at corner, whoever the No. 1 receiver is, just let me follow him and take him out of the game. I just like the competition.”

Barnes visited for Austin Peay’s junior day, prior to the dead period. He’s hoping to take three or four visits in the month of March, with one of them being to Clemson. He’ll be in The Valley on March 5.

As far as his recruitment is concerned, Barnes holds offers from just Georgia State and Austin Peay. In addition to Clemson, he’s heard from programs like ECU, Liberty, Kansas State and Purdue. North Oconee had 20 schools come by last week, so it’s been a bit hectic, but Barnes is hopeful that this is a sign that his recruitment will take off sooner than later.

“We’re working for it and praying for it,” he said. “That’s what a lot of people are saying. I hope it does because I’m not one of those guys who likes distractions during the season. So, I’d rather everything happen kind of now and during the season, in the back of my head, just kind of know where I wanna go because for my senior year, I want to have a big year.”

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