Clemson football freshmen Xavier Thomas and KJ Henry have really impressed coaches and fellow teammates during the beginning of preseason camp.
When Xavier Thomas and KJ Henry signed to play for Clemson football, there was no questioning that they would make an immediate impact.
The two 5-stars proved long before they ever stepped foot on a College campus that they were NFL-caliber talents. Since arriving on campus, though, the two have been extremely impressive.
Here in the first few practices, both of their names have been mentioned multiple times by both players and coaches alike. Albert Huggins said that Xavier Thomas has one of the quickest first steps he’s ever seen. The coaches love the fact that KJ Henry is now up in the 250s and ready to contribute.
Both of these guys were in the three-deep when the preseason depth chart was released, but I believe they’ll be ascending those spots before it’s all said and done this year.
Ready to Play…
Obviously, neither Thomas nor Henry will play ahead of Austin Bryant or Clelin Ferrell. Both of those guys elected to come back for one more season after having the option to enter the NFL Draft.
But, it will be valuable for the two freshmen to be able to learn and look up to two talented veterans like Ferrell and Bryant.
The question is: Can Thomas or Henry beat out guys like Chris Register, Richard Yeargin, Justin Foster, Xavier Kelly or Logan Rudolph.
What people forget is the fact that all of those defensive ends are talented enough to earn playing time. When I look at Thomas and Henry, I believe they have the talent to play right away. I think they will earn plenty of playing time. But, I also think they will go through the process.
You’re not going to see them be the first defensive ends on the field after Ferrell and Bryant right away. But, before the end of the season, I do think we could certainly see the two freshmen garnering a majority of the snaps behind the two starters.