Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
5 2 M A R C H 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 5 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / J ust as the Nittany Lions were com- pleting work on their 2024 recruit- ing effort, they added to their next class when cornerback Xxavier Thomas ver- bally committed on Dec. 21, 2023. Unrated at the time, Thomas had traveled to State College on multiple occasions in the year leading up to his announce- ment. He was in Beaver Stadium for three of the marquee games of PSU's 2023 season, attend- ing the matchups against West Vir- ginia and Iowa in September and the clash with Michigan in No- ve m b e r. P r i o r to those trips, T h o m a s h a d checked out Penn State in June, taking part in the staff's White Out Camp. It was during his camp appearance that the Canons- burg, Pa., native piqued Penn State's interest. "He killed it," PSU recruiting coor- dinator Alan Zemaitis recalled. "He locked down every wide receiver that was there. He ran very well, had very fluid hips and he was a competitor. It was hard to get him to not take a rep. He was stealing reps at camp and was just successful every time he went out there. We really took notice of all of that." Thomas, whose older brother Rod- ney played for Yale and was a seventh- round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, measured just over 5-foot-9 at the time, which is why Penn State was slow to extend an of- fer. But the Lions continued to monitor him, and Thomas continued to grow. "When he reached a mark that we were very comfortable with, we were ready to offer him," Zemaitis said. Thomas now checks in at 5-11, 175 pounds. He ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and a 4.3 shuttle at Penn State's camp, and he put together an impres- sive statistical portfolio at Central Catholic, total- ing 16 intercep- t i o n s a n d 24 pass breakups in his career, while also shining on offense and on kickoff and punt returns. With his sign- ing, Thomas be- came the third p l a y e r f r o m Central Catho- lic to join Penn State since the start of the 2024 recruiting cycle. A year ago, the L i o n s s i g n e d two of his high sc h o o l tea m - mates, three-star linebacker Anthony Speca and three-star wide receiver Pe- ter Gonzalez. Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith recruits the Pittsburgh area for Penn State and understands the importance of having a connection to one of the region's most successful high school programs, a team that has gone 22-5 in its first two seasons under coach Ryan Lehmeier. "It's a school that we have to recruit; they're loaded," Smith said. "They have a lot of young talent, and we're going to keep tapping into that talent. They have a new coach who's doing a great job there, so we've just got to keep re- cruiting Central Catholic guys. They're smart, they're patient, and they know what they want." — Ryan Snyder Thomas totaled 16 interceptions during his four-year var- sity career at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, including 6 picks as a senior. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER XXAVIER THOMAS Camp performance starts cornerback on a path to State College CB | 5-11 | 175 Pittsburgh Central Catholic Canonsburg, Pa. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★ 583 56 14 On3 ★★★ — 51 11 247Sports ★★★★ — 38 10 ESPN ★★★ — 99 21 Rivals ★★★ — — 19 Statistics • As a senior, finished with 15 tackles, 6 interceptions and 5 pass breakups, along with 624 receiving yards on offense, 280 kick-return yards and 306 punt-return yards • Had 17 tackles, 4 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, 302 kick-return yards and 142 punt-return yards as a junior • Totaled 25 tackles and 2 interceptions as a sopho- more Notable • Was a four-year letterman and a team captain as a senior • First-team All-WPIAL his sophomore, junior and senior seasons • Received Central Catholic's Special Teams Player of the Year award as a junior • Lettered all four years in track and field and twice in basketball Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on Dec. 21, 2023 • Recruited by cornerbacks coach Terry Smith • Picked Penn State over Akron and UNLV • Officially visited on June 14, 2024 2025 Projection Penn State has stockpiled plenty of talent at corner- back, meaning that a redshirt year seems likely. That said, Thomas is also a talented return specialist, and it's not far-fetched to imagine him finding a role in the kicking game. They Said It BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Thomas has great feet and transition skills in coverage. He's an easy mover around the field and glides between cuts following receivers. With these skills, he has the potential to be a dual slot and outside cornerback at Penn State. While he isn't the biggest player at 5-11, 175 pounds, he's got exceptional ball skills for a high school cornerback. He shows a knack for turning his head and predicting when the ball is coming, and he's been able to parlay those abilities into pass breakups." T H E T H O M A S F I L E