Xavier Thomas is teased by younger players, but he has gratitude for his journey

Xavier Thomas smiles during his interview earlier this week.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Aug 12 07:00:13 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Xavier Thomas doesn’t care if his younger teammates poke a little fun at his age and longevity now and then, as long as they understand the gratitude he has to be still playing the game he loves.

Thomas is an explosive edge rusher who made an immediate impact as a reserve in 2018, earning near-unanimous Freshman All-American acclaim. He is a multi-time all-conference selection and is credited with 116 career tackles (30.0 for loss), 14.5 sacks, five pass breakups, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 1,385 defensive snaps over 49 games (19 starts).

However, Thomas was limited by COVID and injury in 2020, and a foot injury limited him to just three games and 52 defensive snaps last season. A few years ago, his weight ballooned to almost 300 pounds, but he’s changed his diet and recently weighed in at a svelte 246 pounds.

Thomas has a new outlook, both mentally and physically.

“I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. My strength hasn’t gone away,” Thomas said earlier this week. “I just definitely feel faster in regards to my weight. That was the main thing the weight was, so that I can fulfill my speed, things like that, but my power hasn’t gone anywhere. That 2020 year, when I went through the COVID depression stuff, it was frustrating, but I had already been down before, so it really wasn’t nothing too much that got me down in regards to I knew I could come back from it.”

Thomas said he hopes his story is an inspiration to his younger teammates.

“I really try to be an inspiration, just never to give up on yourself in regards to no matter what you go through in life, that’s what I try to,” he said. “My message to the guys, cause you never know, like I said, I didn’t plan to be here this long, but God’s plan is always bigger, so you really just got to trust that, and I try to be an inspiration to those guys, don’t try to rush it.”

Thomas said he has to undergo some good-natured teasing from the youngsters, but he hopes they understand their time here is fleeting. He also wants them to understand his gratitude for being back and playing after so much time away from the game.

“Guys try to mess with me sometimes in regards to being here so long, but I told them it really flies by. Six years feel like a long time, but it really happens in the snap of a finger,” Thomas said. “My word for the year is gratitude, and I’m just grateful to be able to play this game knowing through what I’ve been through and being able to play it again, so I’m really just grateful for it.”