Khalil Barnes
Khalil Barnes
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. This is his third year in the same secondary at Clemson. The receipt: 9 tackles, 1 TFL against Duke — Week 10, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Dabo Swinney.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dabo Swinney
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR05 · Part-time starter
Part-time starter. Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2025
W 20–19
at Louisville
3 SOLO · 5 TOT
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 1 on the road.
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Clemson
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Safety · Clemson
Returning around him
- 9 Clemson players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -4 net (11 in / 15 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Clemson · Last season: 7-6 (AP #12) · Talent rank #7 · 2026 recruiting class #20
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Bralen Trahan’s 2021 season.
Matches Bralen on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Jordan Coleman's junior season at Ball State (2024).
Matches Jordan on