Khalil Barnes Recaps "Perfect" Visit To Notre Dame

Notre Dame made an incredibly strong impression on Georgia standout Khalil Barnes during his visit to South Bend this weekend

With only a couple of spots remaining, the Notre Dame staff is still looking to add some high upside athletes to the 2023 recruiting class. Fitting that label perfectly, Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee athlete Khalil Barnes is still a relatively new name to the Notre Dame board, but he is fresh off a fantastic visit to South Bend this weekend.

Being courted by some of the top programs in all of college football, Notre Dame has managed to rise to the top of Barnes’ list despite a lot of competition and a late start to his recruitment. The battle against Clemson over the weekend is a huge reason for that.

"It was damn near perfect, man,” Barnes said. "The whole trip felt surreal, learning about the history and just feeling the vibe. It was great. The best moment was for sure storming the field and dancing with Coach (Marcus) Freeman after the game.”

The relationships with the staff is what has been really making a difference with the Georgia standout. They have laid out the vision for Barnes, both on and off the field.

"The staff really just let me know how badly they want me to be a part of the program,” he explained. "They also let me know how I would be used in their system. I would preferably be at wide receiver, but they really see me as an all around athlete who can do a lot of things.”

Of course, Notre Dame defeating No. 4 Clemson at home didn’t hurt their cause. Neither did the fans and commits, who Barnes said made him feel right at home.

"The fans showed crazy love,” Barnes stated. "They even knew my name already and the other recruits and I vibed the whole weekend. They let me know what the move to make was multiple times.”

Despite getting on Barnes somewhat late, Notre Dame has made up for lost time very quickly. Barnes could absolutely see himself dawning the blue and gold on the next level.

“I could most definitely see myself as a part of the team because I trust that Coach Freeman will do whatever he can to help me personally,” said the Georgia native. "Obviously he will do whatever it takes to win on the field but also in the classroom and all aspects of life.”

Barnes is the type of athlete he can do a lot for a team on the college level. The plan would be to begin at wide receiver if he landed with Notre Dame but options are on the table.

This exemplifies the Notre Dame way under Freeman; identify and acquire great athletes, and figure it out from there.

The 6-1, 185-pound athlete is considered a consensus three-star recruit according to every major recruiting platform in the 2023 class. 

The Georgia native has continued to generate major interest from some of the premier programs in all of college football. Aside from the offer from the Irish, Barnes also boasts offers from Clemson, Oklahoma, Purdue, Wake Forest, Kansas State, Georgia Tech and Duke among others.

As a junior, Barnes was selected as the Region 8-AAAA Player of the Year. He was also an AJC and GACA first-team all-state selection. While recovering from an ACL injury prior to his junior season, Barnes was still able to collect 30 tackles, three interceptions, 13 pass breakups and two forced fumbles on defense that season.

On offense, Barnes caught 50 passes for 771 yards and nine touchdowns while also rushing 22 times for 204 yards and three more scores as a junior. 

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