On Monday, wide receiver Beaux Collins and defensive lineman Xavier Thomas spoke to the media after practice, with the media curious about how their injury recoveries are going and how the team is looking after the new-look offense and incoming freshman.
Arguably two of the most vital losses for the Tigers last season, the two upperclassmen provided fans with some encouragement, providing excitement that the two standouts are ready to play at 100% once again, and talked about the setback last season.
“It definitely made me a lot hungrier than I was,” said Collins, “It was a pretty big learning experience.”
After Collins came out of the gate scorching hot, with a touchdown in the first four games. He was set back by a separated shoulder during the season, which sat him out for a large number of games down the stretch, including playing banged up against South Carolina in the Palmetto Bowl. Now fully recovered, Collins believes this is the healthiest he has been since the day he stepped foot on campus.
“I had a foot injury when I got here in my first spring, I had a couple of groin and hamstring injuries that I had to overcome,” Collins said. “It feels great man, to finally be healthy.”
Collins, who had not suffered an injury that sidelined him for a good amount of time before last season, said it was important for his mind most importantly, potentially helping him break out for a monster junior season.
We also spoke with Xavier Thomas, who has had trouble recovering from a plethora of injuries since his freshman year in 2018, when he earned himself a Freshman All-American spot with 3.5 sacks. Since, he has not been the same with injuries being a strong factor, playing in only three games last season with a foot injury. The sixth-year senior, in his final year of eligibility, believes that he can get back to that freshman-year self.
“In my eyes, I haven’t played football in three years,” Thomas said. “Since 2019, I had a pretty decent year but that’s the last time I really played football in my eyes. So, in regards to being able to play again, I’m fully healthy and playing at my best self, it was definitely relieving.”
Another topic that both players talked about was the freshman class, which could have a valuable impact as we move on into the middle and end of the season. Thomas gave the group high praise, in a defensive group that features the likes of Peter Woods.
“I see a lot of similarities to that 2018 lineup,” Thomas added. “To see a group of young guys who have that work ethic is great to see.”
In addition, Collins, entering his third season with Clemson, is high on the group as well, hoping to mentor this group by being one of the older guys in the receiver room.
“They’re just guys that have things that you can’t teach,” Collins said. “I haven’t seen a group like them, they’re special.
Lastly, the tale of the offseason has been the offense, which both players spoke about. With the addition of Garrett Riley, even the defensive side of the ball have been excited for it, playing against it over the course of this fall camp.
“It’s definitely a different energy around the group,” Thomas noted. “It’s definitely going to be fun to watch this year.”
But there’s no one more important on the field for this offense than Cade Klubnik, who has the keys to the Clemson offense, and even the receivers believe that this is his time, gaining chemistry with the sophomore signal-caller over the summer.
“We’ve worked out a lot this summer,” Collins said. “He’s taking the next step, for sure. He wants it bad.”
Even the defense is seeing it, with an experienced veteran in Thomas seeing great things with the young quarterback who plans to take a step up.
“He’s been working his tail off,” Thomas said, “You can tell he’s way more composed in regards to practice and he’s been a very vocal leader.”
Players are already seeing a lot of great things as Clemson’s fall camp is getting started, giving fans a lot to be excited about when the Tigers get back in action with an away test against Duke to start their season. Stay tuned with Clemson Sports Media for all of your Clemson Fall Camp coverage!
