Clemson football has an explosive defensive end despite his struggles
The Clemson football team has seen its fair share of injuries and setbacks over the course of the 2020 season and one of the biggest was to Xavier Thomas.
Thomas, who had been working hard to get in the right playing shape, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this summer and then struggled with strep throat following the bout with COVID. The result saw Thomas fall way out of playing shape and on a long road to recovery.
"“I was at a really good point after spring ball, and then dealing with COVID and stuff, it just set me back a lot,” Thomas said via The State. “My symptoms were really bad. A really bad fever and my body was really bad. I felt really weak and stuff like that. With the breathing and stuff, it was pretty tough to get over.”"
While Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said earlier in the preseason that the plan was going to be to redshirt Thomas and play him in four games later in the season, that all changed when the NCAA released its updated rules for the 2020 season saying that players will not lose a year of eligibility in 2020, no matter how many games they played in.
Thomas’ will to recover should be commended and though he still has a ways to go, his explosive first-step remains
Thomas worked hard to recover and made his season debut on Oct. 10 against the Miami Hurricanes. He played three snaps against Miami, followed by 20 against Georgia Tech, 25 against Syracuse and 15 against Boston College.
Just when it seemed he was getting back into the swing of things- totaling a couple of sacks in those games- Thomas picked up a targeting foul in the second half of the Boston College game that put him out for the first half of the Notre Dame game. He didn’t register a tackle in the game against the Fighting Irish, playing just a few snaps in the second half.
Though we haven’t- and likely won’t- get to see Thomas back at his ideal playing weight and conditioning level this season, one thing is for sure: He still hasn’t lost that quick first step.
Despite playing a bit overweight, he is still one of the fastest out of his stance and was one of the only pass-rushers making a difference in the games against Boston College and Syracuse just a couple of weeks ago.
The road to recovery is still long for the Clemson football DE, but there’s no doubt his future remains bright.