Xavier Thomas showed freaky athleticism in opener. His plans for future are bigger

Clemson freshman sensation Xavier Thomas showed off his youth but also his athleticism in the same play Saturday afternoon against Furman.

The Tigers were leading 48-0 midway through the fourth quarter when Furman running back Deon Sanders broke free for a 45-yard gain.

Sanders took the handoff at the Furman 35 and had nothing but green grass in front of him before Tigers cornerback LeAnthony Williams and Thomas caught him from behind. Thomas, who was on the opposite side of the field, finally helped bring Sanders down 45 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Thomas, a former five-star recruit, is listed at 6-2, 260 pounds, yet was able to chase down a 229-pound running back from behind. Furman’s drive later ended with a turnover.

“I was coming from the backside, and I knew we really didn’t want to give up a score,” Thomas said. “I know my speed, and I knew I could run him down. So I was just trying to make a play and stop him from scoring.”

The only problem for Thomas is that his freakish speed might not have been needed had he done what he was supposed to do on the play.

“He should’ve been running a stunt on that,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “He better be running to get him down. He didn’t run the stunt he was supposed to run. But he’s one of them guys that can fix some stuff. ... He’s 260 pounds, and you can just see in the open field what he can do.

“He’s going to be a great player. Oh, man. He’s got a motor, and he’s got everything you could ever want in a defensive football player: size, speed, explosiveness.”

Thomas’ debut against the Paladins was an impressive one, despite the mental miscue.

He was constantly in the backfield when he was in the game, and on one of his first plays, he recorded a tackle for loss.

“It was great. It’s so different from the recruiting process,” Thomas said. “You see how it is when you come to games, but it’s so much different when you’re actually in it. These fans are the best fans in the country. It’s just a great experience being out there.”

In addition to Thomas, the Tigers also signed five-star defensive end K.J. Henry for the class of 2018. Henry also played well Saturday, recovering a fumble in his first game.

Thomas believes that the duo could create a dynamic pass rush for the next few years.

“We talk about it all the time,” Thomas said. “We know that we have to wait our time and pay our dues just like Clelin (Ferrell) and Austin (Bryant) did when they came in when Shaq (Lawson) and Kevin Dodd were here. We just know that we have a very bright future.”

The fact that during fall camp Ferrell stated that Thomas and Henry are ahead of where he was as a freshman has only added to Thomas’ belief that he and Henry can cause offensive linemen headaches down the road.

“It just gives you a confidence boost because it shows how much potential me and K.J. have coming in,” Thomas said. “When Clelin and Austin came in, they weren’t as far advanced as we were. It just helps a lot knowing that we have a very bright future.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2018 at 2:45 PM.