One on One with Xavier Thomas
Defensive end Xavier Thomas wreaked some havoc on Georgia Southern quarterback Shai Werts Saturday in a 38-7 victory against the Eagles. Thomas caused a quarterback hurry on Werts that would result in an incomplete pass and would also sack Werts for a loss of three yards. Thomas enrolled in Clemson in January 2018 and had two sacks in the Spring Game.
Thomas was considered the No.3 player in the nation by 247Sports, No.4 player by ESPN, and the No. 5 player by Prep Stars and Rivals. Thomas was also considered by ESPN, 247Sports, Prep Stars, and Rivals as the No.1 defensive end in the nation and as the No.1 player in the state of Florida.
Thomas played at IMG Academy his senior year of High School after playing three years at Wilson Academy High School in Florence, S.C. During his year at IMG, he helped lead IMG to a 9-0 season and a No.2 national ranking by MaxPreps.
The Monday following the victory over Georgia Southern, Thomas spoke to the media previewing the week ahead as the Tigers are on the road to Atlanta to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. I was able to catch up with Thomas after to talk about his adjustment into college life, teammate KJ Henry, Hurricane Florence, and his goals for the rest of his freshman season.
Q – You arrived in Clemson in January, what was it like getting acclimated to college life?
Thomas – It wasn’t that hard because I was just coming from IMG, so I basically knew what a college schedule was like. The only thing that was different was the freedom, the freedom was new but I got adjusted to that pretty well. The only thing that was hard coming straight in was waking up pretty early, waking up at 5:30 to workout but I got adjusted to that pretty well.
Q – What was it like having teammate KJ Henry coming into Clemson with you?
Thomas – It was great, I recruited KJ ever since I committed to Clemson myself. I really didn’t think that I was going to get him, but he committed. He signed here on my birthday, so that was very special for me. It has been really great having him up here and we are going to have a great first year.
Q – You’re from Florence, we are just now getting to assessing the damage from Hurricane Florence, were any members of your family affected by it?
Thomas – No, my family actually came up here to stay in a hotel and they are just now leaving today. I don’t think that it was that bad. I believe that our power went out. It was just some bad rain and winds but they are alright.
Q – What are your goals for the rest of your freshman season?
Thomas – To make the most of my playing time, adjusting to the game pretty well, and just improving with each game
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