Tiger Top 10 Defense: No. 4

The Clemson Tigers have so many playmakers on defense, today we start the process of picking the 10 most important players to the Tigers' success.

The 2021 football season is quickly approaching, and now it is time to look at the 10 players on defense who the Tigers will look to if they want to make it back to the College Football Playoff this season.

Today, we continue with No. 4 on our list of players for the Tigers:

No.4: Xavier Thomas

Thomas had intended to take a four-game medical redshirt a year ago after complications with both COVID-19 and strep throat but ultimately appeared in seven games upon the NCAA granting a free year of eligibility in 2020. Thomas (22.5) ranks first in career tackles for loss on Clemson’s current roster.

Explosive edge rusher who made an immediate impact as a reserve in 2018, earning near-unanimous Freshman All-American acclaim … enters 2021 credited with 85 career tackles (22.5 for loss), 9.0 sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 857 snaps over 34 games (nine starts).

2020: Initially intended to play only four games in 2020 and redshirt after complications with COVID-19 and strep throat, but ended up playing seven games upon the NCAA’s blanket eligibility waiver for 2020 … credited with 11 tackles (4.0 for loss), 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble in only 119 snaps over seven games (one start) … made season debut vs. No. 7 Miami … added three tackles (0.5 for loss) at Georgia Tech … recorded three tackles including his first sack of the season vs. Syracuse … added a sack vs. Boston College, giving him a full sack in back-to-back games for the first time in his career … made one tackle at No. 4 Notre Dame … forced a fumble on a sack vs. Pitt … had a half-sack among his two tackles at Virginia Tech.