Xavier Thomas looking to go from fat to fantastic in final season

Thomas hopes to have a fantastic final season as a Tiger.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Mar 09 08:32:03 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Xavier Thomas was fat, by his athletic standards, but he wasn’t happy and that led to him making the decision to return to Clemson for a final and what he hopes is a stellar season.

Many thought that Thomas would elect to turn pro after the 2021 season. He played in 12 games and tallied 21 tackles, including 3 1/2 sacks and 5 1/2 tackles for loss. Thomas registered a team-high 17 quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles, and when he ran down the hill on Senior Day, head coach Dabo Swinney and everyone else assumed Thomas’ Clemson career had come to an end.

Thomas had other ideas and admitted that the first part of the 2021 season his mind was already in the NFL and that led to a very average year.

“The first part of the season, my mind was on it, but the second half I was getting to the point where I was kind of second guessing it and then realized what I really wanted to do,” Thomas said.

“That was an average year, in my opinion. I know what I have in the tank. I know what I can do.”

Thomas did a lot of soul searching, and finally reached out to let Swinney know his decision to return. He also asked Swinney to keep it quiet, wanting to surprise his teammates at the football banquet that marks the end of the season.

“He was going into the (transfer) portal and stuff like that, I didn’t want him to replace me,” Thomas said of Swinney. “I had to let him know. It was definitely hard (keeping it quiet) because I had people asking me every single day because I did not make an announcement.”

The announcement took almost everyone by surprise, including his good friend KJ Henry.

“KJ had no clue I was coming back. I kind of knew he was going to come back, but K.J. had no clue I was coming back. I completely surprised him,” Thomas said.

What are his goals for this season? Double-digit sacks is a great start, but what he really wants to do is show the entire world what he can do when he’s focused and healthy.

“Nobody has seen what I am capable of, and that is what I really want to show this year,” Thomas said.

“Last year, I was coming off that terrible 2020 year, where I was overweight and things like that, but now I have a whole different level of confidence and things I want to do. So, I basically know everything I have to do. I have it all planned out. Now, I just have to go and get it.”

He admitted that he weighed too much prior to the 2020 season, saying, "Oh I didn't bulk up, I got fat."

Thomas missed much of the season due to COVID issues and had to deal with the mental stress that went along with not playing and being away from his teammates. As a result, his weight was close to 300 pounds. He almost quit playing football but found a strength he didn’t know he had and pushed through the 2021 season, putting up those decent numbers.

But it wasn’t enough, something he learned when talking to the NFL about his draft status.

“They thought I was going to run a 4.8 (in the 40-yard dash) at the combine or something,” Thomas said. “I can bust a 4.4 out there. But they don’t know that yet.”

He then said that he wants to weigh around 255 pounds before the 2022 season, and if he gets there, opponents had better watch out.

“Once I get there, it’s a wrap,” he said.