The Clemson safety room is a veteran group with Jalyn Phillips and Andrew Mukuba leading the way, but the young talent is what could really be the story of the group in 2023. A lot of that starts with freshman Khalil Barnes, who is making a strong impression heading into his first season.
Mukuba and Phillips raved about what Barnes brings to the table, and it’s high praise considering it’s coming from the leaders of the unit. The Tigers finished their second scrimmage at Memorial Stadium Wednesday, and head coach Dabo Swinney talked about Barnes and his expectations for the first-year safety.
“He’s gonna play. He’ll be on special teams. A lot of these guys, you know, their biggest role initially might be special teams. I mean you’ve got to have it, that’s a third of the game and we can’t have all of our starters playing every special teams snap,” Swinney said.
Barnes may be just more than a special teams option in 2023, though. Coming in at 6-foot, 199 pounds, he already has the body to play safety at the college level and we saw it during the open sessions at fall camp. Swinney has confidence in Barnes, and he knows that he’s a strong option to come into the game at any point given he’s been with the program since the spring.
“I think he’s going to be a score special teams guy but, I mean, I think he plays early,” Swinney said. “I think he can compete with anybody we have, any veteran we have. He’s a really talented young player who gets it. He hasn’t played but you know, I think he’s game ready and I don’t think we would hesitate at all to put him in the game. I think he can play multiple spots, probably three different spots. That gives him his ability to really understand things, gives him a little more opportunity than maybe some other young guys.”
Barnes has the skills to play both safety spots and drop down into the nickel spot like Mukuba, and that opens the door for him to see snaps very early in his Clemson career. The depth in the safety room is prevalent, and Barnes is one of the key parts of that surge.