Leading up to it, Clemson didn’t know if Xavier Thomas would see action in last Saturday’s game at Boston College.

But after feeling great in pregame warmups, the fifth-year senior defensive end was able to give it a go, and he made a big impact during his brief time on the field after missing each of Clemson’s first five games while rehabbing from a foot injury suffered in fall camp.

Now that Thomas has made his season debut, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was hopeful that he would be able to increase his workload ahead of the Tigers’ trip to Florida State on Saturday and said Sunday he expected the star pass rusher to “ramp up” his practice reps this week.

On Monday, Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin met with the media and talked about Thomas’ return to the field.

“Like he said in his postgame press conference, we were unsure of his status up until kickoff basically,” Goodwin said. “Just excited to get him back going in whatever role, and how his progression is this week and see how many snaps he gets Saturday night.”

Thomas was limited to six snaps against Boston College, but the Florence, S.C. native still reminded everyone of the force he can be as a pass-rushing weapon on Clemson’s defensive front.

Thomas recorded a career-high-tying two sacks, a forced fumble and an additional quarterback hit in the Tigers’ 31-3 victory. He was presented with the Leather Helmet Award from the Boston College Gridiron Club as the game’s most valuable player, and on Monday, he was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance.

After Thomas had to spend five weeks watching, waiting and healing before returning to action, Goodwin is glad to have him back in the fold and happy that he reaped the rewards of his patience Saturday night.

“His speed off the edge, his quickness — it’s uncommon,” Goodwin said. “Just really cool to see him get that opportunity, just having to be patient. He had such a great offseason. Really changed his body and his mindset, and has really matured into a great leader for that group, and so just cool to see the patience pay off and cool to see him get those two sacks and another hit. So, really productive night for him.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

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