Dabo Swinney opens up on the true impact of Xavier Thomas injury

Losing defensive end Xavier Thomas for the rest of the season due to injury is not the sort of news Clemson needed in the wake of a season-altering loss to Notre Dame. But head coach Dabo Swinney looked to the bigger picture when discussing Thomas this week.

While losing the star defender is a blow for the prospects of whatever Clemson hopes to do in its final three-plus games, Swinney has been heartened by the response he’s seen from Thomas.

“He’s good. I mean, he’s been encouraging to me, actually. I mean, I’m really — we don’t always understand why things happen. It’s certainly disappointing. But man, he is just — I’m just really proud of who he is and just how mature he is, how he’s grown. I mean, he is a transformed person from when I met him at 16 years of age to who he is right now, as a man, getting ready to be married and just, again, has a good perspective.

“And life has a way helping you have that if you’re wired the right way. He’s really grown in his faith, tremendously. He’s really leaned on that. But he’s gonna be fine. It’s disappointing. But we’re always disappointed when things don’t go the way we want them to go, but as a person of faith, God’s plan is always bigger than our plan. And it’s not always, it doesn’t always line up, the way we plan it.”

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Swinney rolled on, mentioning that Thomas probably could’ve gotten healthy enough to play again this season, but it would’ve forsaken a full-fledged prep process for the NFL draft.

However, because of the free year of eligibility due to Covid, Thomas could in theory come back for another year. The decision is very much his to make, and one that doesn’t seem to be ironclad at this point.

“Especially with Covid, there’s a bunch of 24-year-olds playing in college football. So, he’s still young. It’s still all in front of him and, you know, he does have an option. If he wanted to, he could come back. I’d take him back, for sure. But, he can go on and go pro, too. I don’t have any doubt he’ll get drafted. Obviously he’s missed out on a lot of opportunity and in his mind he hasn’t been able to really be the best version of himself. But, he’s gonna be fine no matter what.

“But I’m just really proud of who he is, the type of man that he has become, and it’s all part of his journey. So, he’s got a bright, bright future ahead of him. On and off the field. He’s got a lot more football to play, but he’s got a lot of great things coming for him in life, too.”