Clemson Football: Xavier Kelly could be a 2019 breakout player

Xavier Kelly is going to make an impact for Clemson football in 2019. Could he be a breakout player as the Tigers begin the new season?

Xavier Kelly has patiently waited his turn in the Clemson football program the past couple of seasons.

He came to the Tigers as a 4-star DE, but was moved inside to provide depth. Making the position switch was not easy for Kelly.

It came with having to learn to play along the interior and putting on some additional weight. Even after he had learned the ropes, at least to a point, the Tigers had plenty of talent at the position with Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Albert Huggins and even Nyles Pinckney and Jordan Williams.

After years of waiting, though, it’s finally Xavier Kelly’s time.

It’s clear that as we head into the summer that he is working hard to get on the field. Kelly reported on Twitter that he is up to 303 pounds, which is nearly a 10 pound increase from last season. If he continues to put on weight with muscle training, there’s a good shot that Kelly could be close to that 310 mark when the season begins.

At the very least, it’s expected that he’ll be around 305-308 when the Tigers begin Fall Camp.

Adding the weight is a good sign for Clemson football. The Tigers are in need of depth at defensive tackle. Right now, Nyles Pinckney and Jordan Williams are the two expected starters, but then there’s not much depth behind the two.

Kelly could prove to be a solid second-string and perhaps even push one of the guys for starter reps. Right now, it should be expected that Kelly is the second-string behind Williams and that true-freshman Tyler Davis is the backup behind Pinckney.

We’re going to see a lot Xavier Kelly for Clemson football in 2019. So much so, he could end up being one of the breakout performances of the year when it’s all said and done.