Business decision pays off for five-star Xavier Thomas
SAN DIEGO – Five-star defensive end Xavier Thomas grew up a South Carolina fan. He dreamed of playing for the Gamecocks.
But when it came time for the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout to pick a school, more than just his fandom went into consideration.
Thomas, originally from Florence (S.C.) Wilson, was making a decision for the rest of his life – and he felt South Carolina’s instate rival, Clemson, was the best opportunity.
For Thomas, it was a challenge not to pick South Carolina. But it was necessary.
“It was very difficult to make that decision because growing up I was a fan but it’s a business decision,” Thomas said after IMG defeated Corona (Calif.) Centennial at the Honor Bowl this past weekend. “You have to put all that fan stuff aside and do what’s best for you.
“At Clemson, I can always trust those coaches. Coach (Dabo) Swinney, you’ve seen his track record and coach (Brent) Venables you’ve seen his track record. I did some research on coach (Todd) Bates, he’s a good coach. With that decision, I felt it was best for me.”
The five-star standout started to seriously watch Clemson in his freshman year when the Tigers offered. Before that, the focus was South Carolina. But as Thomas continued to chart his course through the recruiting process, Clemson’s success on the field – and especially along the defensive line – started to stand out.
“I’ve been watching Clemson since my freshman year when I first got a scholarship offer there,” Thomas said.
“Coach (Marion) Hobby offered me. Of course, he went to the league now but I’ve developed a relationship with coach Bates and coach Venables, everybody knows he’s a mastermind for what he does on defense with his calls and his schemes.
“I saw the d-line they have there now and the d-line they had before that and I just want to continue that tradition.”
During the final months of his recruitment, Thomas reached out to a bunch of Clemson stars and asked some pertinent questions. The answers he received helped convince him even further – no matter how tough it was going to be – that Clemson was the right fit, not South Carolina.
“It helped a lot talking to them,” Thomas said.
“I talked to those guys and asked them why they made their decision and they explained why they made theirs. I grew up a USC fan so it was a very hard decision but at the end of the day it’s a business decision. I can’t be a fan, so I feel like it was a very good decision for me.”
