Saturday may have been the first time Clemson fans got a glimpse of Khalil Barnes’ playmaking ability on the back end of the Tigers’ defense.

For Barnes’ coaches and teammates, though, they’ve been seeing it all spring.

Barnes was one of the standouts among Clemson’s mid-year enrollees in the program’s annual Orange & White spring capper over the weekend. With some postseason injuries causing some shuffling in the Tigers’ secondary, the incoming freshman got the starting nod at the nickel spot for the White defense and proceeded to put on a show for the roughly 50,000 fans looking on inside Memorial Stadium.

“What you saw (Saturday) is kind of who he’s been all spring,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

While listed on Clemson’s official roster as a safety, Barnes was recruited by multiple schools as an athlete out of North Oconee (Georgia) High School. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder displayed that athleticism yet again Saturday along with some natural instincts.

His first impact play came early in the game when the Orange offense tried a quick screen to the outside. But Barnes read it and quickly sprinted into the backfield toward Hamp Greene, dropping the walk-on receiver for a 3-yard loss.

Barnes then showed his man-coverage skills when quarterback Hunter Helms tried to connect with Greene again on a flat route toward the sideline. The ball didn’t get to Greene this time as Barnes broke on it to break up the pass.

“He’s been balling this whole spring,” fellow defensive back Andrew Mukuba said. “He came in focused and locked in. He knew what he wanted to do, and this whole spring, he’s just been getting better and better. I’ve seen it. He’s a guy that’s not afraid to ask questions and not afraid to learn.”

But Barnes saved his best for last.

In a tie game late in the fourth quarter, it was freshman quarterback Christopher Vizzina looking for an easy completion to Greene. Vizzina uncorked a pass to the wide side of the field deep in his own territory, but Barnes was there He intercepted it this time and tip-toed the sideline for a 22-yard pick-six that proved to be the difference in the White team’s 20-13 victory.

Linebacker Barrett Carter also credited the work Barnes puts in off the field for the plays he made on it Saturday. Of the mid-year enrollees that went through the spring, Carter singled out Barnes and defensive lineman Peter Woods as the ones that put in perhaps more work preparing in the film room than any of them.

“I think it just ties back to how they prepare every day,” Carter said. “It’s really cool to see how their work paid off over the spring. I’m excited to see how they build off of this into the summer and into the season.”

Cornerback Sheridan Jones and safeties Jalyn Phillips and Tyler Venables weren’t full participants this spring as they recover from injuries, but Clemson expects all of them to be fully healthy again by the time fall camp rolls around. Based on what Barnes’ teammates saw from him over 15 spring practices, though, they fully expect the newcomer to make some sort of impact immediately.

“He’s one of those guys that’s going to really help us this (fall) whether that’s on defense, special teams or something like that,” Mukuba said. “That’s a guy that’s going to compete and go out there and play hard.”