Georgia got a clear upgrade in going from Joenel Aguero to Khalil Barnes

ATHENS — Georgia will see a familiar face this weekend when it faces the Ole Miss Rebels.

On the opposing sideline will be former Georgia safety Joenel Aguero. After spending the previous three seasons in Athens, he transferred to Ole Miss this offseason.

“Joenel’s a hitter,” Nate Frazier said of his former teammate. “One year, Joenel, I remember my freshman year, he hit me hard. So I know he’s a hitter and he’s very physical. He’s a downhill safety to come fill the run. So I’m very excited to play him and see my brother again.”

Aguero emerged as a starter for Georgia last season, totaling 39 tackles and an interception in 12 games. He battled injury at times, causing him to lose playing time toward the end of the season.

He did not play in Georgia’s final two games, with Rasean Dinkins starting in his place against Alabama and Ole Miss.

Dinkins is now a starter for the Georgia defensive backfield, though at safety rather than the star position that was previously manned by Aguero.

With the hole at the star position, Georgia itself used the transfer portal to upgrade its roster.

While Georgia’s small transfer haul hasn’t yielded massive gains this season, it’s clear that defensive back Khalil Barnes has been the team’s best addition.

“Him just being an older guy on the field. Knowing that this is his first year here, but just coming in with confidence, knowing that he’s one of the older guys on the defense,” outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson said of the Clemson transfer.

Barnes was always a priority for the Georgia coaching staff, as he was the first of Georgia’s nine-man transfer class to commit to the Bulldogs.

Three days after Georgia landed Barnes, Aguero announced his time with the program had come to an end. That timing isn’t a coincidence.

On the season, Aguero has more tackles than Barnes, holding a 27-19 edge. But the current Georgia Bulldog has more tackles for loss and pass breakups than Aguero does to this point. Aguero was also ejected from Ole Miss’ 52-28 loss to Florida with a targeting penalty.

Against that same Florida team, albeit in a different venue, Georgia and Barnes came out with a 27-8 victory.

For as much as players use the transfer portal to improve their situation either financially or in terms of playing time, Georgia going from Aguero to Barnes is an example of a team doing the same.

Saturday won’t be the first time Georgia has faced a former player. The situation most similar to that of Aguero is wide receiver Anthony Evans. After the Bulldogs added Zachariah Branch from the transfer portal prior to the 2025 season, Evans decided to seek out a new school. He eventually landed at Mississippi State, where he’s become a far more productive player than he ever was at Georgia.

The Bulldogs faced Evans last season in Starkville, Mississippi. He had just 27 yards on four receptions against his former team, which was his least productive game of the season to that point.

Other examples of Georgia seeing former players who have left the program include facing linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson as a member of the 2024 Kentucky team and Cade Mays when he transferred to Tennessee for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Much has been made about Georgia not taking many transfers, as the Bulldogs brought in the fewest in the SEC. Of those nine additions, Barnes and USC transfer Braylon Conley have been the only clear hits this season. Injuries have hampered the potential impact of linebacker Amaris Williams, running back Dante Dowdell and wide receiver Isiah Canion.

But Georgia also had the fewest number of players transfer off its roster last year, as just 12 players exited. Aguero was the biggest contributor of those 12.

“I like the player that stays two, three, four years,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the Florida game. “Then if he’s not playing in the third year, I get it. He wants to go play, he needs to go play, but he’s been invested. I want him to get his degree, I want him to stick around and do that. I can’t say that we’re going to do that all the time.”

There’s a perception out there that Georgia isn’t transfer-forward or friendly. The numbers reflect that, as all but 13 players on Georgia’s 105-man roster started their careers in Athens. The Wall Street Journal noted this week that 91.4% of the players on Georgia’s roster haven’t played for another school. That ranks first among teams ranked in this week’s AP Poll.

Smart doesn’t dispute the notion that he wants to build the Georgia program from the high school ranks. But he also knows there are good players who fit into the team’s culture available in the transfer portal.

“I think there’s really good portal players out there that have come to programs and made huge differences,” Smart said. “They might be culture builders, not guys to take away from the culture.”

Barnes grew up a Georgia fan in nearby Bogart, Georgia. It was admittedly a miss on the Georgia staff not landing Barnes out of the high school ranks, as he went on to become a three-year starter for the Clemson Tigers instead.