Khalil Barnes (born February 28, 2005) is an American college football safety for the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the Clemson Tigers.
Early life Barnes attended North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia. At the end of his sophomore season, he suffered a torn ACL. As a junior, Barnes notched 33 tackles with three being for a loss, and three interceptions.
Recruiting Barnes received offers from schools such as Austin Peay, Army, Georgia State, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Tennessee. He initially committed to play college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. However he later re-opened his recruiting, announcing his top 3 as Clemson, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. Ultimately, Barnes committed to play college football for the Clemson Tigers.
College career In week 2 of the 2023 season, Barnes recorded his first career interception in a victory over Florida Atlantic. In week 6, he notched a forced fumble in a win versus Wake Forest. In the 2023 regular season finale, Barnes returned a recovered fumble 42 yards for a touchdown, while also recording an interception, in a victory versus South Carolina. He finished his freshman season in 2023 with 41 tackles with five being for a loss, a sack, six pass deflections, three interceptions, and three forced fumbles, earning freshman all-American honors. During the 2024 season, Barnes totaled 61 tackles with one being for a loss, three pass deflections, and four interceptions.
On January 4, 2026, Barnes announced his decision to transfer to the University of Georgia to play for the Georgia Bulldogs.
College statistics Year Team Class Tackles Interceptions Fumbles 2023 Clemson FR 13 33 5 38 5.0 1.0 3 4 1.3 0 6 3 1 2024 Clemson SO 14 36 25 61 0.5 0.0 4 0 0.0 0 3 3 2 2025 Clemson JR 10 24 16 40 1.0 0.0 0 0 — 0 2 0 0 2026 Georgia SR Career 37 93 46 139 6.5 1.0 7 4 0.6 0 11 3 1
References
External links Clemson Tigers bio