University of Georgia Athletics
Barnes Happy To Be Home
September 16, 2026 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Khalil Barnes is back on familiar ground.
"I'm used to being here. I don't have to tell my GPS how to get to Piggly Wiggly," said the senior safety from Athens, who spent three seasons at Clemson before transferring to Georgia in the spring.
Sanford Stadium is familiar to Barnes, too. His grandmother, Glenda Brown, owned Peaches Fine Foods and used to cater Georgia events, and he would go to the games. He would go and dream about one day playing on Dooley Field.
"I was always thinking, I'm going to go to Georgia. I'm from here, and it's going to be so cool," he said.
Eventually, he did. But not right away. A bit of a "late bloomer" on the football field, Barnes, who played wide receiver, defensive back and returned kicks and punts at North Oconee High School, didn't have many scholarship offers from major schools until his senior year, he said. He originally committed to Wake Forest before eventually deciding between Clemson, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
"I didn't get offered by Clemson until the fourth game of my senior year in high school," he said. "I was kind of like a late bloomer with the bigger offers."
He chose Clemson and made an immediate impact. As a freshman, he had 41 tackles, including five for loss, as well as six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a team-high three interceptions. All of that earned him multiple postseason honors, including multiple First-Team Freshman All-American awards. He followed that with 60 tackles, five pass breakups and a team-high four interceptions as a sophomore. In the 2024 season opener against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a 34-3 Bulldog win, Barnes had a pair of tackles and a pass breakup.
Last season, he had 46 tackles and 10 pass breakups. And then he hopped into the transfer portal.
"Everything in the portal kind of happens quick, so you're having to figure out what teams want you and what teams do you feel like you can really see yourself at," he said. "And when I weighed my options, I felt like there wasn't a big decision to be made. Coach (Kirby) Smart laid it out flat to me, and I thought this is just the best opportunity for me."
At his news conference on Monday, Smart said he's liked what he's seen from Barnes so far.
"High level of maturity. He was very well coached where he was. Very scheme-diverse. Very Intelligent, picking things up," Smart said. "He's been a good leader and a constant for us in terms of being consistent in his performance."
Barnes has started Georgia's first two games in the Star position, as a hybrid defensive back/linebacker. When the Bulldogs opened their season against Tennessee State on Sept. 5, Barnes' childhood dream finally came true. He was in a Georgia uniform, running out onto Dooley Field. The meaning of the moment wasn't lost on him, he said.
"That first game was a little emotional for me. It hit me in (pregame) walkthroughs — how much my family has been through and how much I've been through to get there," he said. "Last week (against Western Kentucky) felt more like a normal game. I just kind of had my routine, which was good. But at the end of the day, it's football. I'm just blessed to continue to be able to play."
Barnes, a three-time member of the ACC Honor Roll who has already earned a degree from Clemson, is loving being close to home, close to his family.
"I probably see my family twice a week now, just because they're so close," he said. "It's been really good."
Staff Writer
Khalil Barnes is back on familiar ground.
"I'm used to being here. I don't have to tell my GPS how to get to Piggly Wiggly," said the senior safety from Athens, who spent three seasons at Clemson before transferring to Georgia in the spring.
Sanford Stadium is familiar to Barnes, too. His grandmother, Glenda Brown, owned Peaches Fine Foods and used to cater Georgia events, and he would go to the games. He would go and dream about one day playing on Dooley Field.
"I was always thinking, I'm going to go to Georgia. I'm from here, and it's going to be so cool," he said.
Eventually, he did. But not right away. A bit of a "late bloomer" on the football field, Barnes, who played wide receiver, defensive back and returned kicks and punts at North Oconee High School, didn't have many scholarship offers from major schools until his senior year, he said. He originally committed to Wake Forest before eventually deciding between Clemson, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
"I didn't get offered by Clemson until the fourth game of my senior year in high school," he said. "I was kind of like a late bloomer with the bigger offers."
He chose Clemson and made an immediate impact. As a freshman, he had 41 tackles, including five for loss, as well as six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a team-high three interceptions. All of that earned him multiple postseason honors, including multiple First-Team Freshman All-American awards. He followed that with 60 tackles, five pass breakups and a team-high four interceptions as a sophomore. In the 2024 season opener against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a 34-3 Bulldog win, Barnes had a pair of tackles and a pass breakup.
Last season, he had 46 tackles and 10 pass breakups. And then he hopped into the transfer portal.
"Everything in the portal kind of happens quick, so you're having to figure out what teams want you and what teams do you feel like you can really see yourself at," he said. "And when I weighed my options, I felt like there wasn't a big decision to be made. Coach (Kirby) Smart laid it out flat to me, and I thought this is just the best opportunity for me."
At his news conference on Monday, Smart said he's liked what he's seen from Barnes so far.
"High level of maturity. He was very well coached where he was. Very scheme-diverse. Very Intelligent, picking things up," Smart said. "He's been a good leader and a constant for us in terms of being consistent in his performance."
Barnes has started Georgia's first two games in the Star position, as a hybrid defensive back/linebacker. When the Bulldogs opened their season against Tennessee State on Sept. 5, Barnes' childhood dream finally came true. He was in a Georgia uniform, running out onto Dooley Field. The meaning of the moment wasn't lost on him, he said.
"That first game was a little emotional for me. It hit me in (pregame) walkthroughs — how much my family has been through and how much I've been through to get there," he said. "Last week (against Western Kentucky) felt more like a normal game. I just kind of had my routine, which was good. But at the end of the day, it's football. I'm just blessed to continue to be able to play."
Barnes, a three-time member of the ACC Honor Roll who has already earned a degree from Clemson, is loving being close to home, close to his family.
"I probably see my family twice a week now, just because they're so close," he said. "It's been really good."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
S
/ FootballTuesday, September 15
Tuesday, September 15
Monday, September 14
Monday, September 14