Now that Xavier Thomas has made a verbal commitment to Clemson...
Hints about a shift in five-star DE Xavier Thomas’ recruitment began to surface earlier this week, in which the battle between Clemson and South Carolina dominated the conversation on The Insiders Forum. Thomas made a verbal commitment to Clemson on Saturday centered on a visit to the Tigers’ spring game. We can tell you that there were some rumblings in the last 3-4 days, that began after last weekend, that we've been working on figuring out and running down....
Here’s a bit more information and context to the decision:
- As we’ve documented, South Carolina was way behind on Thomas when Will Muschamp arrived in December 2015. Clemson and out of state suitor FSU were running one and two for quite some time due to the early prioritization and lack thereof by South Carolina. Muschamp began chipping away in Thomas’ recruitment while many other programs were thriving and the Gamecocks were coming off a three-win season, one that Muschamp had no hand in of course. The deck has been stacked against USC in some ways but there have also been some inherent advantages, some created by USC and some inherent such as Thomas’ affinity for the Gamecock program. Despite that, USC worked itself into a position that’s been strong, or perceived by everyone involved to be so, for much of the process.
- One factor that we do believe hindered the Gamecocks, however minor, was Thomas heading down to IMG Academy for his senior season. There’s a lack of South Carolina influence there compared to Clemson; Tiger commitment Mike Jones Jr. was in Thomas’ ear every day. Thomas is not basing his own decision off Jones Jr. or any other prospect, but it does not hurt a top-shelf program’s chances to have that advantage. Jones Jr. was also responsible for getting Thomas a ride to Clemson on multiple occasions while he was not on break at IMG.
- When we sat down with Thomas for what would become a three-part interview once published back in March, we walked away feeling that South Carolina was still in good position. That backed up what we were also hearing behind the scenes from both the Clemson and South Carolina side of things. The decision today, however, did not ultimately catch any of those folks by surprise.
- This is a decision that’s difficult for many to understand. Thomas has the best relationship with the South Carolina coaches and USC has held the cards for much of the recruitment. Yet no program lands five-stars uncontested, and there are numerous examples of big-time prospects having abrupt shifts in their recruitments once circumstances change. You’ll hear a lot in coming days about Clemson’s national profile, success relative to South Carolina in recent years, and atmosphere carrying the day in Thomas’ recruitment. There’s no doubt that those things are factors, but this is a case where it goes beyond that. Consider that Thomas moved his decision up by several months when all the on-field facts about both programs have been the same and have no chance of changing until September at the minimum. South Carolina’s program is not yet where it hopes to be in coming years, and Clemson’s success has been tremendous lately. That’s been known, and was not some sort of overnight revelation. Yet things made a very quick turn here from the Gamecocks having the advantage and a decision coming in December, ostensibly so Thomas could continue weighing on and off field factors, to him pledging to the Tigers much earlier than expected.
-Any way you slice it, this is a significant blow to the Gamecocks for multiple reasons. South Carolina is trying to turn the program around and has made significant strides in upgrading the roster at multiple position groups. One unit that’s the toughest to get elite-level talent is up front on the defensive line, but you also need a really good defensive line to become a top-notch football team. USC had excellent players all over the field during its best-ever run under Steve Spurrier, but the defensive line was a primary reason why in many cases. Thomas is a guy that, while not a finished product, has the size and skill set to be a really good player and a potential difference-maker in third-down situations. Adding to that, South Carolina is not only losing a good player but someone who could have been the face of the class, grew up a Gamecock fan, and a player it had the edge for during much of the process.
- All this said, one thing we’ve been steadfast in noting is that we haven't believed Thomas’ recruitment will be completely over until he finishes out his high school career in December and subsequently enrolls early in January. I’ll reboot that discussion by noting that in the multiple conversations I’ve had the past few days, the feedback has been mixed as to the chances of ultimately convincing Thomas to change his mind. Some believe it will now be extremely difficult to unseat Clemson, given current circumstances and dynamics. Others believe that Thomas’ relationships with Will Muschamp and Lance Thompson (which are very strong) will have the conversations continue, and it’s difficult to imagine Thomas never setting foot in Columbia again between now and December. For me, I do believe the communication will continue, according to what I’ve heard, but it's difficult to project where things may go from here. USC showing further progress on the field is something that could help, but is obviously far from the deciding factors as to whether or not USC can get back into the race in a big way. Muschamp and many of his staff members have been down this road many times before, on both the winning and losing side, so they’ll understand the game.
- I know this doesn't lend as much clarity as some would like to the situation, and perhaps in later times we'll be in a position to release more. Certainly, it's a situation we'll be continuing to track.
Hints about a shift in five-star DE Xavier Thomas’ recruitment began to surface earlier this week, in which the battle between Clemson and South Carolina dominated the conversation on The Insiders Forum. Thomas made a verbal commitment to Clemson on Saturday centered on a visit to the Tigers’ spring game. We can tell you that there were some rumblings in the last 3-4 days, that began after last weekend, that we've been working on figuring out and running down....
Here’s a bit more information and context to the decision:
- As we’ve documented, South Carolina was way behind on Thomas when Will Muschamp arrived in December 2015. Clemson and out of state suitor FSU were running one and two for quite some time due to the early prioritization and lack thereof by South Carolina. Muschamp began chipping away in Thomas’ recruitment while many other programs were thriving and the Gamecocks were coming off a three-win season, one that Muschamp had no hand in of course. The deck has been stacked against USC in some ways but there have also been some inherent advantages, some created by USC and some inherent such as Thomas’ affinity for the Gamecock program. Despite that, USC worked itself into a position that’s been strong, or perceived by everyone involved to be so, for much of the process.
- One factor that we do believe hindered the Gamecocks, however minor, was Thomas heading down to IMG Academy for his senior season. There’s a lack of South Carolina influence there compared to Clemson; Tiger commitment Mike Jones Jr. was in Thomas’ ear every day. Thomas is not basing his own decision off Jones Jr. or any other prospect, but it does not hurt a top-shelf program’s chances to have that advantage. Jones Jr. was also responsible for getting Thomas a ride to Clemson on multiple occasions while he was not on break at IMG.
- When we sat down with Thomas for what would become a three-part interview once published back in March, we walked away feeling that South Carolina was still in good position. That backed up what we were also hearing behind the scenes from both the Clemson and South Carolina side of things. The decision today, however, did not ultimately catch any of those folks by surprise.
- This is a decision that’s difficult for many to understand. Thomas has the best relationship with the South Carolina coaches and USC has held the cards for much of the recruitment. Yet no program lands five-stars uncontested, and there are numerous examples of big-time prospects having abrupt shifts in their recruitments once circumstances change. You’ll hear a lot in coming days about Clemson’s national profile, success relative to South Carolina in recent years, and atmosphere carrying the day in Thomas’ recruitment. There’s no doubt that those things are factors, but this is a case where it goes beyond that. Consider that Thomas moved his decision up by several months when all the on-field facts about both programs have been the same and have no chance of changing until September at the minimum. South Carolina’s program is not yet where it hopes to be in coming years, and Clemson’s success has been tremendous lately. That’s been known, and was not some sort of overnight revelation. Yet things made a very quick turn here from the Gamecocks having the advantage and a decision coming in December, ostensibly so Thomas could continue weighing on and off field factors, to him pledging to the Tigers much earlier than expected.
-Any way you slice it, this is a significant blow to the Gamecocks for multiple reasons. South Carolina is trying to turn the program around and has made significant strides in upgrading the roster at multiple position groups. One unit that’s the toughest to get elite-level talent is up front on the defensive line, but you also need a really good defensive line to become a top-notch football team. USC had excellent players all over the field during its best-ever run under Steve Spurrier, but the defensive line was a primary reason why in many cases. Thomas is a guy that, while not a finished product, has the size and skill set to be a really good player and a potential difference-maker in third-down situations. Adding to that, South Carolina is not only losing a good player but someone who could have been the face of the class, grew up a Gamecock fan, and a player it had the edge for during much of the process.
- All this said, one thing we’ve been steadfast in noting is that we haven't believed Thomas’ recruitment will be completely over until he finishes out his high school career in December and subsequently enrolls early in January. I’ll reboot that discussion by noting that in the multiple conversations I’ve had the past few days, the feedback has been mixed as to the chances of ultimately convincing Thomas to change his mind. Some believe it will now be extremely difficult to unseat Clemson, given current circumstances and dynamics. Others believe that Thomas’ relationships with Will Muschamp and Lance Thompson (which are very strong) will have the conversations continue, and it’s difficult to imagine Thomas never setting foot in Columbia again between now and December. For me, I do believe the communication will continue, according to what I’ve heard, but it's difficult to project where things may go from here. USC showing further progress on the field is something that could help, but is obviously far from the deciding factors as to whether or not USC can get back into the race in a big way. Muschamp and many of his staff members have been down this road many times before, on both the winning and losing side, so they’ll understand the game.
- I know this doesn't lend as much clarity as some would like to the situation, and perhaps in later times we'll be in a position to release more. Certainly, it's a situation we'll be continuing to track.
