MOBILE, Ala. – Ken Barefield, a junior safety on the University of South Alabama football team, recently sat down with USA Athletic Media Relations to discuss the season as well as life off the field.

What are some of the defensive unit’s strengths?
“We are very physical. We may be undersized to Division-I standards, but (defensive coordinator) coach (Bill) Clark pounded into our heads early and often that we have to be physical. And we are perfectionists in everything that we try to do.”

Describe the transition from offense to defense. What has that been like?
“I came in as a receiver, and moved to safety two weeks before the first game of the program’s history. I played receiver my whole life, so I had an offensive mindset. Two weeks before the first game (defensive coordinator) coach (Bill) Clark came to me and said they were moving me to safety. They put me in there in the last preseason scrimmage that season. I didn’t know what I was doing, they just told me to go full speed. So I did that, and it worked out well. Once I learned what I was doing, it was easy. The end of spring practice following the first season is when I got pretty comfortable. I knew what I was doing, what I needed to do and I knew the defensive calls.”

Are there any advantages having played offense?
“At receiver you are taught to go eight yards to break a corner or a post, so I know by eight to 10 yards if they haven’t stuck their foot in the ground that it is a seam and I can go ahead and flip my hips and stay on top. That’s what I try to tell our receivers sometimes. I know their mindset. I know to just turn my back to them if I am in the box once I know it is a run so they can’t touch me. It’s subtle things like that, but you also know that if you bring the hit to them then they are going to back off.”

What are some of the challenges in playing your position? What have you improved on?
“Things happen quicker than they would at safety because you’re further down in the box. I have to react quicker because I am at five yards instead of 12 yards. And when we go in coverage, I may be in man coverage. I have to fit the box like a linebacker and cover like a safety. When I first made the transition, the hardest thing I had to learn was man coverage. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. But I don’t have a problem doing it at all now, because I know how to do it – coach (Bill) Clark and coach (Duwan) Walker taught me how to do it all.”

What are some challenges with playing in a 3-4 scheme?
“In a 3-4 you lose a lot of help up front, so you have to have your help from back to front. If it gets past us, it’s a touchdown. If the defensive line messes up, nobody sees it; the linebackers make up for that. If the linebackers mess up, no one sees it – we make up for them. But if we mess up, everybody sees it. I had to understand quickly that if I had to fill a gap or be somewhere to turn the ball back inside, I had to do it otherwise it is six points.”

How has (defensive backs coach) Duwan Walker helped you grow as a player?
“He has helped me leaps and bounds. He is the type of person who is going to tell you upfront; he isn’t going to sugar-coat anything. He told me from day one that I had to be physical and quick, and if you have those two makings then you are going to be pretty successful. He helped me understand that instead of being passive on offense, you have to be aggressive on defense; you have to take the will out of the offense early. He has taught me to be physical, to not back down and understand what I am doing in order to play the position well.”

What is it like playing for (defensive coordinator) coach (Bill) Clark?
“I have had three-and-a-half years with him and on the football field, it’s business. But off the field he is a great man – he has taught me a lot. I having nothing but the utmost respect for him, and I love him to death.”

What have been some of the highlights of your career up to this point at South Alabama?
“Coming to a college program and learning a completely new position and helping the team in the best way that I could is the biggest thing. I had the right opportunity and the right coaches to where everything fit perfectly. I’m playing defense and helping the team out, and that’s something that I am glad I have the opportunity to do.”

Talk about the offseason conditioning program and how it has helped you develop physically?
“My bench press has gone up 115 pounds, and my squat has increased 235 pounds. I shaved my 40 time from a 4.6 to a 4.40. We’re doing something right in the offseason and it shows midway through the season when you’re banged up and tired.”

Did you have any offers to play baseball out of high school?
“Baseball was a big part of my life until my junior year. I had reconstructive surgery on my shoulder, so I had to give that up. My dad was a baseball player at Louisiana Tech, so baseball was a big part of my life. You could say I was better at baseball than I was at football, but the chips fell as they did and now I just have football. I had a bunch of offers from Division II and III schools, but it all worked out for me when I came here.”

Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
“My dad has for sure. There are times when my football career means more to him than it does to me, and it means everything to me. He has a different outlook on it now, because he has been through it and now he has a son doing it. He was my coach up until middle school. But he comes to every game.”

What went into your decision to come to South Alabama?
“(Director of Operations) Coach (Brent) Bedsole was my high school coach my senior year at Hoover, coach (Joey) Jones was from the same area I was, I played against coach Clark and coach Walker multiple times when they were at Prattville and coach (Kurt) Crain played at Berry (present-day Hoover). So I have a lot of ties here, and I knew we were going to do good things when I came here. Plus I love the beach.”
 
What are some of your personal goals for this season?
“I want to get 60 tackles and two interceptions. But I want people to see not just me but the team in general as role models for Mobile. I want to be a role model to all of the kids in our city.” 

What are some things you like to do away from football?
“Hunting – I am a huge hunting fan. My spare time is spent hunting with my brother when I have a chance. I hunt everything: whitetail deer, ducks, alligator, wild boar, rabbits, squirrels, you name it and I hunt it.”

Do you want to coach football when your playing days are over?
“I would like to coach, but if other opportunities arise in other aspects of my life then I would go with them, but coaching is always a plan in my life.”

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).