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TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 8:06 AM
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Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Xavier Thomas just needs to be consistent. Thomas, the rising junior defensive end out of Florence, emerged as a defensive playmaker during his freshman campaign when he registered 43 tackles (10.5 for loss), 3.5 sacks and two pass breakups in 304 snaps over 15 games. Those numbers all dipped last season, despite Thomas starting eight games. Full Story » |
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CU Medallion [18789]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 8:37 AM
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Not to mention that 2 years ago he had an NFL D-line surrounding him.
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Asst Coach [840]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 9:00 AM
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Exactly right. It was easy to come in under the radar and make plays with an offense focused on where Bryant, Ferrall, Wlikens, and Lawrence are all of the time. Hope he learns and will show out this year.
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Walk-On [116]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 11:05 AM
[ in reply to Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level" ] |
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Couldn't agree more. I think a lot of people had these crazy high expectations of XT.
1. He didn't have the same cast around him on the line in 19' and he did in 18'
2. We played a completely different scheme in 19' than 18'.
3. He missed 3 games from a concussion. I understand he still had more snaps in 19' than 18', but in 18' he was able to come flying in full speed after all of our NFL linemen had already worn down the OL and plus they were drawing double teams all over Big Dex, Cle, and Wilkins.
Here is to hoping that with recruiting and maturing we can get back to a strong 4-3, which will allow him to break free much more often next season.
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Associate AD [1072]
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What is the point of going to IMG if they aren't getting
Mar 6, 2020, 9:15 AM
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"a great foundation as a football player". Do they just do weight training and nutrition? I thought learning football from the best coaches was the whole point.
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Clemson Conqueror [11484]
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Re: What is the point of going to IMG if they aren't getting
Mar 6, 2020, 1:14 PM
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It seems that Dabo is saying XT was a year and half into playing for the Clemson coaches before he realized he needed to up his game to be elite.
If it took Clemson coaches that long to get through to him, then even the best high school coaches in the country probably had no shot in the one semester he was at IMG.
I've been around athletes who get the right coaching 100 times but never actually hear it until they realize that they need the coaching.
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Scout Team [164]
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Re: What is the point of going to IMG if they aren't getting
Mar 6, 2020, 1:23 PM
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It seems that Dabo is saying XT was a year and half into playing for the Clemson coaches before he realized he needed to up his game to be elite.
If it took Clemson coaches that long to get through to him, then even the best high school coaches in the country probably had no shot in the one semester he was at IMG.
I've been around athletes who get the right coaching 100 times but never actually hear it until they realize that they need the coaching.
Spot on!!
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Legend [6940]
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CU Medallion [20902]
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Re: What is the point of going to IMG if they aren't getting
Mar 6, 2020, 3:03 PM
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All good points. Many IMG players are only on campus 2 or 3 semesters. And yet, some players like UGA’s Nolan Smith are ahead of XT.
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Campus Hero [13237]
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Re: What is the point of going to IMG if they aren't getting
Mar 6, 2020, 4:47 PM
[ in reply to Re: What is the point of going to IMG if they aren't getting ] |
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Only 1 semester. He was a Mid-year enrollee. So coming from small school in Sumter which may not have the best D-line coaching combined with the fact that XT was just more physically gifted than most HS kids so he just had to Bull-rush to get to point of tackle. XT didn't need technique until he got to college level talent where he can't live on physical dominance.
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Orange Immortal [62799]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 10:07 AM
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If you believe half of what Dabo is saying, and we should bc he has been around the college level players for a long time now, and he has seen all types of players and he should know what he is talking about. It makes me wonder that if XT would have been a coot with all the coaching changes they have, would XT have ever been a 5* college player, or a good NFL player. IMO, he made the best choice by coming to Clemson than any other choice he could have made!!!! Go Tigers, Go Tiger coaching!!!
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All-In [27366]
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Been waiting to hear that.
Mar 6, 2020, 10:13 AM
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Good news.
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Letterman [271]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 11:06 AM
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The lack of depth at DT hurt Thomas as well. Because we only had one semi-competent DT this past year (Tyler Davis), we had to run three man fronts quite often. This led to XT being routinely double teamed and our lack of a pass rush suffered.
With Bresee and Capehart coming in, that should lead to us going back to a 4 man front and XT should get A LOT more sacks and TFL's. Seems like Bresee might be our next Dexter Lawrence in terms of being able to blow everything up in the middle. This will allow XT a lot more freedom to set the edge.
Hopefully XT has gotten his mental and attitude issues solved. I think he might be in for a huge season if he does.
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Orange Immortal [62799]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 11:22 AM
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Both of those guys plus what had that redshirted or didn't get a ton of snaps bc of our lack of depth on the D-Line, our ends should have a much better year this coming season!!!!
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Commissioner [903]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 6, 2020, 2:50 PM
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This is probably his last year.
Going to NFL, and has to have a year where he shines and makes highlights when he plays, to improve draft stock.
Best of luck to him...
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Standout [340]
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Re: TNET: Swinney says Xavier Thomas is headed to a "whole other level"
Mar 7, 2020, 10:46 PM
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Still waiting for something special, nothing yet?
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Orange Immortal [67117]
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I can't wait to see XT's "whole other level"***
Mar 8, 2020, 12:59 AM
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Replies: 16
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