CLEMSON | Last August, Xavier Thomas began camp as a third-stringer.

On Jan. 13, he began the national championship relegated to the sideline for the first quarter as he served a suspension for what was termed a disciplinary issue.

The bookends of obscurity were a fitting summation of a sophomore season that didn't go nearly as well as Thomas or anyone else envisioned.

There was an air of mystery to what exactly was going on, from the point Thomas showed up to camp out of shape to the point that he watched as his defense had to play the first 15 minutes against LSU's juggernaut offense without him.

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If tough love was taking place behind closed doors, it did not extend to the public as Dabo Swinney and Brent Venables opted against coming down too hard on Thomas through the media.