Xavier Thomas makes it official, inks with Clemson football
After finishing his high school career in Florida, Xavier Thomas was back in familiar surroundings Wednesday.
Celebrating his 18th birthday, Thomas returned to Wilson High School and was surrounded by about 20 friends and family on stage in Clemson orange as he signed his National Letter of Intent with the Tigers. He will enroll early after playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 6.
“It was a very nerve-wracking feeling but a blessing having all of my family here. They grew up watching me play, and no one knew I would make it this far,” Thomas said. “But this was important that I do it here. I grew up watching Wilson football, and my family all is here, so it was a special day.”
Thomas was joined by his former Wilson teammate Zion Keith, who signed to play at Wake Forest.
Thomas began his career at Wilson before he transferred to IMG Academy in January and played this season for the Ascenders. He had 34 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks for IMG, which finished 8-0 and was ranked No. 2 in the USA Today High School Football poll.
Thomas said the year in Florida helped prepare him for going off to college.
“I learned a lot of different tricks. IMG prepared me mentally and physically to play at the next level,” Thomas said. “I learned to manage my time well with football and academics.”
The 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive end, a five-star prospect who committed to the Tigers in April, stayed firm in his pledge. Thomas said schools, including South Carolina continued to recruit him after his committment, but he finally told them a few months ago he wasn’t going to back out of his decision.
Thomas is part of a strong Clemson recruiting class, which includes No. 1 prospect QB Trevor Lawrence and KJ Henry. It is the first time in school history the Tigers signed the No. 1 prospects in five different states.
Thomas said he and Lawrence and the four other Clemson commits playing in the U.S. Army all-star game will watch the Tigers’ national semifinal against Alabama together.
“I am very excited about this class,” Thomas said. “Hopefully, we can add to it with some other guys today.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Xavier Thomas makes it official, inks with Clemson football."