Venables dips into the archives to get "snakebit" Xavier Thomas back on track

Thomas has missed time this spring.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Apr 01 13:01:03 GMT-04:00 2021

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told the media a week ago that he has been pleased with the progress and availability of defensive end Xavier Thomas during the spring, but defensive coordinator Brent Venables admitted Wednesday that Thomas has been “snakebit” and once again has missed time.

When Thomas is on the field, he’s a disruptive force. He missed time at the start of the season while battling the aftereffects of COVID-19 and strep throat. He made his season debut in 2020 against No. 7 ranked Miami in early October but missed time late in the season with a concussion and later contact tracing, He was credited with 11 tackles (4.0 for loss), 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in just 119 snaps over seven games with one start.

Thomas managed his best outing of the year against Syracuse, totaling three of his 11 tackles for the season and adding his first sack. Thomas combined this with a sack the next week against Boston College, marking the first time he earned a full sack in consecutive weeks in his Clemson career.

Venables said Thomas has once again missed time but has done well when he’s been available.

“He’s just been snakebit a little bit from that standpoint,” Venables said following Wednesday’s practice. “But when he’s been out there, I’ve been pleased with what he’s been able to bring to the table.”

Swinney said last week that he’s also liked what he’s seen out of the Florence native.

"(Thomas) has been good. He's been consistent, and he's been available. And that's been awesome. He's been very, very consistent. He's been very engaged. You know, he's feeling good about his conditioning and where he is," Swinney said. "He still has got some work to do between now and August. But I like his mindset. He's showing up every day, and he's got goals, and he's keeping them in front of his mind, which I like. So, he's been good."

Venables said it’s been more than one thing that has kept Thomas off the field this spring.

“He had some protocol things going on early and had a little shoulder banged up as well,” Venables said. “So, he hasn’t had as many reps as some of the other guys. But when he’s been in there, I’ve been really pleased with things that he’s done.”

In an effort to get Thomas back to his freshman numbers from 2018 and 2019 – when he combined for 74 tackles (18.5 for loss) and 5.5 sacks – Venables has dusted off the tape from his freshman season when he was a first-team Freshman All-America selection by USA Today, ESPN.com, The Athletic and 247Sports.

“We’re looking at some teach video, some teach tapes from an installation standpoint here and just pulling up some stuff, how he played and where he was weight wise and all that as a freshman,” Venables said. “So, we’re working hard at trying to get him back there because that version is really good, really special.”