Barnes says the Tigers 'stick together' in search for more complementary football

Khalil Barnes has moved into a bigger role as the season has gone on in the defensive back group.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Tue Oct 31 07:00:07 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - While injuries are never a good thing, it has given several Clemson players, such as true freshman safety Khalil Barnes, a chance to play multiple positions and develop as a multifaceted player.

“We have a lot of guys that can play a lot of different positions,” Barnes said. “We’ve just to keep working and getting used to it to where we can play as fast as we can at our primary positions and our secondary ones too.”

For a rookie like Barnes, this can be difficult. But, for someone who usually plays strong safety, he is getting a deeper understanding of what it entails to play free safety, as he has had to play both positions this season due to various injuries.

“Strong safety is more of a feel. You’re going toward the speed. It’s more like, you’re probably thinking coverage type thing as guys, and then free is more, there’s a lot more in the brain. You’ve got to think,” Barnes said. “I told (safety Jalyn Phillips) he plays the hardest position of our secondary. You’ve got to see the front a lot. You’ve got to understand the calls. You’ve just got to receive some much and be able to react, but you’re more boundary. You’re thinking more fits, but you’re also being a guy who can help in pass.”

In general, this kind of position-flipping, if players can execute at a high level in both positions, can be very beneficial for players looking to go into the NFL. Having experience at multiple positions in a defense helps teams because sometimes an NFL team will not want to use a player the same way they are used in college. But if a player is multifaceted, then having to change their position once in the professional league will not matter as much and will not be as much of a learning curve.

A huge emphasis for any football team is to play complementary football. If you cannot do that, you will not be successful, as shown by the Tigers last week against NC State in their 24-17 loss. The offense struggled throughout the entire game and was desperately in need of the defense to make a big play to shift the momentum. Instead, the defense allowed a few big plays from the Wolfpack offense, and those plays, as well as the turnovers by the offense, were critical in deciding the game.

“There are some times when the offense, they went and scored or something like, we had a chance to have a three-and-out. We gave up two first downs on that drive … just stuff like that. It’s tough for sure because we want to win just as bad as everybody,” Barnes said. “What we do in practice, this is like a year-long job. Don’t no one do this just to not get the result we want, but it’s tough. But, we stick together.”

Clemson’s next game will be no easy task against No. 12 Notre Dame (Noon / ABC). The Irish had the Tigers’ number last year, delivering a 35-14 loss that would help keep Clemson out of the playoffs. Now, they have an improved quarterback situation with former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman, who has played against the Tigers four times from his career with the Deacons. Despite how good Hartman was before, he is now having the best season of his career, with highs in completion percentage, yards per attempt and quarterback rating. Barnes and the rest of the defense know this is going to be a massive challenge for them, but they are ready to face it.

“This year, they can physically dominate you, especially the running game every play. But, they have weapons. They have a vet quarterback out there who they trust. So, it’s really hard to make them one-dimensional this year,” Barnes said. “So, it’ll be a tough challenge. But, you got to prepare, get in that film room, figure out the plan, and go establish it.”