When Xavier Thomas signed with Clemson in 2018, his initial expectation was similar to that of most blue-chip recruits: Play three years in college before moving on to the NFL.
The timeline hasn’t moved quite that fast for Thomas, who’s now on a five-year plan. The Tigers’ defensive end has announced he’s returning to Clemson for another season, which may come as a surprise given the delay on that timetable already coupled with the successful bounceback performance he had on the field this season.
At this point, though, you won’t hear Thomas or Clemson coach Dabo Swinney complaining.
“In 2021, it looked to everyone like I was playing my best ball,” Thomas said in a statement he released Saturday night via social media. “To me, knowing what I am capable of and my abilities, that wasn’t even half my best.”
Thomas’ return is a major boost for first-year coordinator Wesley Goodwin and his defense heading into the offseason, particularly up front. Sophomore Myles Murphy was already coming back, so Thomas’ decision means Clemson will keep one of the ACC’s top edge-rush tandems intact for another season.
The same goes for the Tigers’ defensive line as a whole. Tackles Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis will also be back next season. Throw in fellow ends Justin Mascoll and K.J. Henry, who recently announced he’s also returning to school, along with Ruke Orhorhoro and Etinosa Reuben, and Clemson is in line to return its entire two-deep along a defensive line that finished top 15 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks (3.2 per game) and tackles for loss (7.1).
It makes for perhaps the best collection of talent Clemson has had up front since the Power Rangers group that helped lead the Tigers to their most recent national championship in 2018. College football’s most formidable defensive line that season consisted of Austin Bryant, Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence, three of which went on to become first-round draft picks.
It’s a lofty comparison to make, but Murphy, who led Clemson in sacks (7) and tackles for loss (14) this season, and Bresee were also five-star recruits who could both be high picks in the 2023 draft. Thomas, who signed with Clemson as a consensus top-5 prospect out of Florida football powerhouse IMG Academy, has similar aspirations. Clemson’s 2018 defense, led by that star-studded front, yielded the fewest points in the country and also finished top 5 in total defense and rush defense. This year’s defense finished the season top 10 nationally in all three categories, and that was while playing most of it without Bresee (torn ACL), who may be the most talented linemen on the Tigers’ roster.
What the unit does for an encore remains to be seen, but, at his best, there may not be a better pure pass rusher at Clemson than Thomas. While he finished the season with just 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, the 6-foot-3, 260-pounder looked much closer to old, explosive self after a 2020 season that was derailed by health complications.
Thomas thought then about giving up football, admitting he called Swinney at one point to tell him as much. But Thomas ultimately stuck with it, whipped himself back into shape and became the kind of disruptor he’d been early in his career.
“I really just wanted to get back where I wanted to be and get my weight to where I wanted to be so I could really just do what I do,” Thomas said back in October.
While his impact on games may not have always shown up on the stat sheet, Thomas frequently made his presence felt in opposing backfields. His 17 quarterback hurries were easily tops on the team this season.
Which is what NFL teams are going to want to see more of from him in his final go-round at Clemson.
Thomas’ decision to return to school is a good indication he didn’t receive the kind of feedback he’d hoped to from NFL personnel in terms of how high he might have been taken in this year’s draft. Another year with the Tigers is an opportunity to improve his stock if Thomas can build on what he did this season.
“It is truly a blessing to have an opportunity for the 2022 NFL Draft,” part of Thomas’ statement read. “However, I am very aware of my potential, and there is a lot more work to do.”
Thomas has yet to record more than 3.5 sacks in a season. But as he’s shown, the ability is there.
His first two seasons at Clemson have been his best so far. He immediately became part of the rotation up front during that 2018 season en route to freshman All-American honors, racking up 43 tackles and finishing fourth on that team with 10.5 tackles for loss as a backup. Thomas started eight games as a sophomore and was a third-team all-ACC selection after tallying 31 tackles and eight tackles for loss.
His decision to run it back one more time could end up being a mutually beneficial one for Thomas and the Tigers.
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