Catch a Tiger: Tavaris Barnes
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Earlier this week, we sat down with former Clemson Tiger Tavaris Barnes to talk about his time in Tiger Town.
Barnes, who is attempting to make a comeback in the NFL, spoke with us at length earlier this week. The former defensive lineman credits his mother for keeping him headed in the right direction.
"My mom. My mom did a lot. She instilled in me morals and toughness-- resiliency. I'm surviving on morals today because of my mom,” Barnes noted. “Single parent home? From the inner city of Jacksonville, Florida? You can only imagine the temptations and everything that I had going on. She kept me straight. I'm so grateful for her."
As for his career, Barnes said he knew he could play football at the highest level during his junior season of high school football.
"I was committed to Florida State. I went on a visit up there, and I was like, ‘Man, all these people,’ it's this big campus. This is what I have to look forward to the next four or five years,” Barnes remembered. “That was before I decommitted and went to Clemson, but when I went to Florida State that really woke me up like this is what a major campus looks like. This is how the players are treated. The fans love these guys, so I was excited my 11th-grade year."
It’s been a while since the 2014 season, and we couldn’t help but ask Barnes about his senior season and a freshman quarterback named Deshaun Watson.
"To be honest with you and it is no slight to Cole Stoudt at all. I came in with Cole, that's my boy, but let's be real, if Deshaun (Watson) would have started, my senior year, his freshman year-- the whole year? We would probably be national champions right now. We had the No. 1 defense in the country that year. We needed Deshaun."
Either way, the storyline ended well for Stoudt has he led Clemson to a 40-6 win over Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl after Watson’s year ended with knee surgery after the South Carolina game. Barnes said it was great seeing Stoudt finish the season in epic fashion.
"I was happy for him, excited for him. It came full circle for him, a lot of people wrote him off,” Barnes said. “Coach Swinney believes in his senior guys-- guys that put the work in."
Following Clemson’s recent run of success, Barnes said the formula is simple.
"It starts with the head."
For Barnes, Dabo Swinney is the unequivocal catalyst for what we’ve witnessed over the past decade.
"Coach Swinney brought a sense of urgency to Clemson. A sense of pride, a sense of dignity-- and character. It's more than just football to Coach Swinney,” Barnes said. “That's what he instilled in this program, and that's why I believe he's been successful."
It has been two years since Barnes had been in Death Valley for a game, but this past weekend gave him a chance to let his old coach know how he felt about the heights that Clemson has reached.
"I told Coach Swinney this weekend, 'I'm excited for you and I'm so happy. I’m proud to be a part of this.’”
Looking back, Barnes feels like he is just lucky to have been a Clemson Tiger.
“That God saw fit for Coach Swinney to come recruit me and allow me to be a part of such a great organization.'"