"Xavier Thomas grew up a South Carolina fan. He’s off to a strong start at Clemson"

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The freshman grew up a South Carolina fan and strongly considered the Gamecocks before committing to Clemson last April. The move was a difficult one for Thomas, who had a strong relationship with USC head coach Will Muschamp and defensive line coach Lance Thompson, but was one Thomas felt like he had to make.

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Choosing to play for the rival of the school you grew up rooting for may sound strange to some, but Thomas said it was clear to him after a while where he belonged.

“It was pretty tough. I always grew up wanting to play at USC, but I just had to look at the bigger things and having them have my major and having bigger things for me here, I just had to look at the bigger picture,” Thomas said. “After taking multiple visits to both schools, it was hard at first, but I would say it wasn’t that hard after that.”

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