South Alabama · W 45-21
No tackles.
Vanderbilt · W 34-17
6 tackles, 1 for loss
The other 6 games average 8 tackles. This one was 2 below.
Barnes has tackles in 7 of Kentucky’s 8 games: none against South Alabama.
Elijah Barnes
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for two head coaches at two programs in two seasons: Steve Sarkisian and Will Stein. One game to point at: 12 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss against LSU — Week 6, 2026.
53 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 8): 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-13vs Youngstown State | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | L 17-45vs No. 12 Alabama | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-21@ No. 9 Texas A&M | 8 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 35-34@ South Carolina | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 35-34vs No. 10 LSU | 12 | 6 | 2.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 12 tackles |
| Wk 7 | W 21-13@ Oklahoma | 10 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-17vs Vanderbilt | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 24 | 3.5 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
Oct. 24 · W 34-17 vs Vanderbilt, play by play
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 3 tackles for loss, in the 7 games with play by play.
How Kentucky’s defense played that day
Vanderbilt’s 8 drives: 5 stopped (2 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 5.
10 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 11 for him; the box score credits 10.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 2 more for loss, tied for 9th-most tackles for loss in FBS that week.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
Week 6 · 2026
W 35-34
vs LSU
2.5 tackles for loss · 12 tackles · 6 solo tackles
Edged out LSU at home in a shootout.
Ratings of the games shown run from -1 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
53tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%4 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
4%2 pass breakups53 tackles · 3.5 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 7.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 8.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Will Stein
Pass share
46.1%
233 pass / 272 run
Plays / game
63.1
8 games
Team sack rate
6.2%
257 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
53 tackles in 7 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #273 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Steve Sarkisian and Will Stein.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Kentucky
