Clemson football: Xavier Thomas facing ‘prove it’ year heading into 2021

The 2021 Clemson football season has the potential to be one that Tiger fans will never forget.

As we look ahead to the fall of 2021, Clemson is considered to be in good shape to compete for a National Championship and the Tigers are considered the overwhelming favorites to win the ACC Championship for a seventh-straight year.

If that’s going to happen, though, it’s going to take players who are stepping into new roles to develop and play up to their potential.

We’ve talked quite a bit about D.J. Uiagalelei, Bryan Bresee, Myles Murphy and other youngsters who’ll be heavily relied upon this season. But what about a veteran who has been around the block a few times?

It’s going to be a ‘prove it’ year for Xavier Thomas in a Clemson football uniform

In many cases, Xavier Thomas has become a player who Tiger fans forget about simply because of the bad luck that has befallen him in the past.

After a freshman season where Thomas showed why he was rated as 5-star coming out of high school, he has had two-straight years where things simply haven’t gone as planned.

Thomas admittedly got to a heavier weight than he should have during the 2019 season and that, combined with injuries, held him back from living up to the hype during his sophomore season. Then, during the preseason of 2020, he came down with a case COVID and strep throat that left him out of football shape for quite a while.

Thomas played in just five games in 2020 and accumulated six total tackles and 3.5 sacks. Unfortunately, Thomas missed much of spring practice with protocol and then with a shoulder injury.

As he has continued to struggle with injuries, there are many who have begun to wonder if Thomas will ever reach the type of potential that many had hoped.

247 Sports’ Chris Hummer recently posted an article detailing former 5-stars who are facing a ‘prove it’ year and Thomas was included. Here’s a snippet of what Hummer had to say:

"It feels like a decade ago, but Thomas once looked like he’d be Clemson’s next future top 10 pick off the defensive line… [In 2020] He ended the year playing in just five games – he missed the ACC title game and Sugar Bowl for undisclosed reasons – with 3.5 sacks…Clemson has the deepest and most talented defensive line in the country. Thomas is the X-factor for the unit. If his struggles continue, the Tigers will still be among the best d-lines nationally. But if he can regain his true freshman form, Clemson will be impossible to deal with in the trenches."

I agree with Hummer’s sentiments that if Thomas can reach even a small dose of the potential he possesses, Clemson will be nearly unstoppable on the defensive line. But, that’s a big ‘if.’

Thomas absolutely has the ability to be an NFL-caliber defensive end, but it’s going to take him getting healthy and working hard this offseason to get in the right shape and have the right frame of mind as we head into fall camp.

It can still be done and here’s to hoping this Clemson football season brings major success for Xavier Thomas.