Vanderbilt football wide receiver Kayleb Barnett was arrested over the weekend and charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor, according to court records acquired by The Tennessean.
Barnett, a sophomore, was arrested Oct. 11 on charges of aggravated assault – strangulation, identity theft and use of a false ID. The former two charges are felonies, while the third is a misdemeanor.
According to arrest affidavits acquired by The Tennessean, a Metro Nashville Police Department officer witnessed a physical altercation south of the Shelby Street pedestrian bridge in downtown Nashville. Barnett was seen holding a victim in a chokehold while the victim appeared to be unconscious and bleeding, the officer said in the affidavit. A witness, who was the designated
driver for the victim, told police that Barnett threw a punch at the victim first. Barnett countered that, telling police that the victim tried to punch him first and that he dodged the punch then held the victim down to protect himself.
Police determined Barnett was the primary aggressor, the record showed.
The affidavit also said Barnett had two IDs with different birthdays on him. The officers ran the IDs and found one belonged to Barnett and showed he was under 21. Barnett was born in August 2006, court records show. The other ID belonged to a different person, the affidavit stated.
The Davidson County Sheriff's Office said Barnett was released on a $5,000 bond on Oct. 11. He is set to appear before a judge on Nov. 13 for a settlement hearing, court records show.
A Vanderbilt spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Commodores (3-3, 0-3 SEC) lost to Ole Miss, 52-17, on Oct. 10 at FirstBank Stadium.
Barnett has been used as a gadget wide receiver. This season, he has seven catches for 36 yards and one rush for two yards. In 2025, he had six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown and six rushes for 29 yards. He was a 3-star recruit out of Tulsa, Okla., who attended Jenks High School.
Against Ole Miss, Barnett recorded two catches for minus-6 yards.
Tennessean news reporter Rachel Wegner contributed to this report.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football WR arrested on assault, identity theft charges
