re: Class of 2018 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: So Long Old Friend Edition

quote:

---

Alabama hanging in the race for 5-star DE

DAVENPORT, Fla. — Xavier Thomas, a 5-star prospect, was arguably the best player at the Orlando Opening regional on Sunday, but South Carolina and Clemson have a stranglehold on his recruitment.

Thomas, the nation’s No. 1 defensive end in the Class of 2018 from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), told SEC Country that there is a 99 percent chance he attends either South Carolina, his dream school growing up, or Clemson. The only other school he’s considering is Alabama, but Thomas said there is only a 1 percent chance he winds up in Tuscaloosa for college.

“It’s a school that you have to consider because it’s Alabama,” Thomas said with a laugh.

The Army All-American is originally from the state of South Carolina. Thomas transferred to IMG Academy from Wilson High School (Florence, S.C.) to finish his senior season.

He recently released his top two schools and said Clemson and South Carolina were the only two schools he was going to consider moving forward. He even joked on Sunday that maybe he’ll pull a LeBron James and announce his commitment via a magazine cover where it says, “I’m coming home.” Playing in the Palmetto State is important to Thomas, but the door — ever so slightly — is open for Alabama.

“Alabama is Alabama,” Thomas said. “With them, (outside linebackers) coach (Tosh) Lupoi tells me all of the time that 56 (Tim Williams) and 22 (Ryan Anderson) are leaving and going to the league this year. They didn’t sign many on the defensive line this year. If I go to Alabama, I could make an immediate impact as a freshman. To go to Alabama and make an immediate impact as a freshman would be big.”

Alabama’s coaching staff has told Thomas that he is the No. 1 overall target on the defensive side of the ball in the Class of 2018. Lupoi is spearheading Thomas’ recruitment, and that’s important because the coach has established himself as one of the nation’s most elite recruiters. In the Class of 2017, he played an instrumental part in getting 5-star running back Najee Harris, 5-star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, 5-star linebacker Dylan Moses and 4-star linebacker Chris Allen committed.

Clemson is the school that most recruiting experts believe Thomas will wind up at when he makes his decision. He doesn’t have a set timeline for when he’ll exactly end up committing, but it will come before the new year, he said, because he’s an early enrollee.

Thomas views the Tigers and Tide in a similar light. The Gamecocks present a different opportunity, but one that, he said, doesn’t matter too much when it comes time to make a decision.

“With South Carolina, I can go there and try to rebuild the program,” Thomas said. “With Clemson, I can go there and keep building what they have built. It’s a pretty hard decision. Alabama separates itself from the other (non-South Carolina) schools because of its name and the legacy the school has. I still talk to the coaching staff all of the time.”

Thomas seems dead set on playing in his home state for college, but it is good news that if he decides that he doesn’t want to stick to that plan, he’s very likely going to choose Alabama. At this point, that’s all the Tide can ask.

---