#3 Tayden Barnes
Tayden Barnes is on the New Mexico State Aggies roster but is not placed on the maintained two-deep. Role and placement populate automatically once he appears on the published chart.
Transfer history
Background & career
Tayden Barnes is a safety from Amarillo, TX who attended Tascosa High School before joining Cincinnati. He received a medical redshirt as a freshman in 2023. In 2024, his first season of collegiate action, Barnes appeared in and started all 12 games for New Mexico State, ranking third on the team with 57 total tackles including 38 solo tackles from the nickel position. He tied for the team lead with 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups while recording 1.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Barnes earned Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week honors following the season opener against SEMO on August 31, when he posted 9 tackles and an interception. During the 2025 season at Cincinnati, he appeared in all 12 games, accumulating 26 total tackles with 15 solo takedowns and one forced fumble. Barnes now enters the 2026 season as a redshirt junior at New Mexico State.
New Mexico Statethrough 2024
Cincinnati2025New Mexico State2026 — present