What Clark Lea Said About Kayleb Barnett’s Arrest and Team Dismissal

NASHVILLE — Vanderbilt football is going into this week with one less player listed on the roster than it did a week ago.

Monday, now-former Vanderbilt wide receiver Kayleb Barnett was dismissed from the team after an off-the-field incident he was involved in over the weekend. Barnett was arrested Saturday night and charged with one count of aggravated assault by strangulation, identity theft and false identification. The strangulation and identity theft charges are being counted as felonies while the false identification charge is being counted as a misdemeanor.

Barnett is posted at a $5,000 bond and is scheduled for a court appearance on Nov. 13.

In his weekly Tuesday press conference, Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea said a few words addressing the dismissal of Barnett from the team.

“We can’t be any more clear on the boundaries we have. Anytime you remove someone from the program, that’s not an unemotional decision. That is not a decision made lightly,” Lea said. “We have clear standards and we fight for those standards every day.”

According to the arrest report, when the authorities arrived on scene an officer “observed the victim fall to the ground, motionless, appearing to be unconscious, with a substantial amount of blood surrounding his person that was emanating from the victim.”

According to law enforcement handling the case, Barnett was arrested without incident and his alleged victim woke up shortly after.

“My worst days in this position are not days where we fall short on the field. My worst days are days when we have to make decisions that eliminate membership in our program. And yet, without boundaries, there’s erosion. And with erosion, there’s flooding. And so to continue to fight for those every single day is critical,” Lea said.

Barnett had seven receptions for 36 yards in the six games he played with Vanderbilt this season. The 5-foot-8 Tulsa, Oklahoma native was one of Vanderbilt’s fastest players on the roster. As a freshman, Barnett caught six passes for 53 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 29 yards on six rushing attempts.

Barnett proved to be a gadget piece that the Commodores could use in their offense when need be. During fall camp, it seemed like Barnett could possibly have a bigger role than what he had as a freshman in 2025.

However, with his dismissal, he is no longer a part of the team.

“Discipline isn’t just something that you bring to the game on Saturday. It’s something you live by. We say better people make a better team. This is everything to what this program’s foundation is,” Lea said.

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