Thomas Reflects on Long Journey from Clemson to Turning Pro
By: Gavin Oliver February 15, 2024

After spending six years at Clemson from 2018-23, Xavier Thomas is moving on from Tiger Town as he looks to take the next step to the NFL level.

It was a long journey for Thomas with the Tigers, and he’s a story of perseverance. The explosive defensive end has spoken candidly about battling depression during his career and overcoming adversity to become a valued veteran leader and impactful edge rusher.

Thomas touched on that again via social media Wednesday, in response to a post on X from NFL Draft analyst Marcus Whitman, who wrote, “Can any NCAA/Clemson diehards explain what’s taken Xavier Thomas 6 years to go Pro? All I know he was one of the top recruits in his class. Dude keeps popping to me every time I flip on Clemson tape.”

Thomas – a former five-star prospect who came to Clemson as a top-five national recruit and the top-ranked defensive end in the country by multiple recruiting services – replied to Whitman with the following post on X:

“I got ya. To keep it short 2018-19 good freshman/soph season. 2020-my junior year 3rd year obviously was supposed to be my last year before I went to the next level.

“But COVID hit 2020, went through some things & a depression, got 50 pounds overweight. Sat out that year. Dug myself out of that in 2021, had an average year still digging myself out of that hole from 2020. So returned for my 5th year in 2022 got back in the best shape of my life & had my first career injury with a broken foot 2 weeks before season started so I had to sit out my 5th year. Returned for a 6th year so I can have a fully healthy season before I went pro.”

Thomas indeed stayed healthy in 2023 and once again showed what he can do, racking up a team-high 21 quarterback pressures to go with 28 tackles (4.0 for loss), 3.0 sacks, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery over 12 games (11 starts).

Thomas earned first-team freshman All-American honors in 2018 before following that up with a third-team All-ACC campaign in 2019. He initially intended to play only four games in 2020 and redshirt after complications with COVID-19 and strep throat, but ended up playing seven games upon the NCAA’s blanket eligibility waiver for 2020.

After collecting another third-team all-conference selection in 2021, Thomas suffered a foot injury in fall camp and was limited by the injury to three games in 2022 before returning to finish his Clemson career in strong fashion this past season.

Thomas was credited with 133 tackles (34.0 for loss), nine pass breakups, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries across 61 career games (30 starts). He exited Clemson as one of nine players in school history — one of seven non-specialists and one of four defensive players — to play in 60 career games for the Tigers.

The 6-foot-2, 245-pounder shined during East-West Shrine Bowl practices last month and is one of six former Tigers who have been invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

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