Xavier Gilliam didn’t play football until his sophomore year of high school.
He tried to back in the third grade.
It didn’t go well.
Gilliam broke his wrist, and as a result, his mother wouldn’t let him play the game until high school.
Gilliam’s freshman season was cancelled due to COVID-19, so his debut was prolonged a year.
It ended up being worth the wait.
Not only could Gilliam hold his own, he played well enough catch Penn Sate’s attention and ended up signing with coach James Franklin’s program this past December.
Gilliam is the latest subject of All 105, a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State player.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 280 pounds
Hometown: Montgomery Village, Maryland
Before Penn State: Xavier Gilliam lettered in all three seasons he played high school football. He played the first two at Wilde Lake before transferring to Quince Orchard, which is also the alma mater of former Penn State DE Chop Robinson. As a senior, Gilliam helped Quince Orchard to a 11-1 record and was a first-team All-Metro performer. He ended the season with 42 tackles, six sacks and 15 tackles for loss. His junior season was just as good. That year, Gilliam put up 52 tackles, six sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and a pass breakup. It was the summer after that junior season when Gilliam committed to Penn State, choosing PSU over Duke, NC State and Virginia Tech, among others.
Where he stands: It’s not likely that Gilliam will get much playing time for Penn State in Year 1, with him being a true freshman and Penn State’s defensive line being arguably the team’s biggest strength on either side of the ball. But Gilliam will still have his chances to impress his teammates and coaches during the week on the practice field.
A quote from Gilliam: ”I can play a lot of positions,” he said. “I can come off the edge. I can drop back into coverage. I can move inside and play the run, you know. So I wouldn’t even try to put a limit on my abilities.” – Gilliam to Nittany Sports Now last summer after his commitment
