Xavier Worthy quit before the end of his first year of football.

Now a Rivals100 Michigan wide receiver commit, Worthy recalls the temper tantrums he used to throw on the field. His mother, Nicky, and uncle, Nick, even tease him about the endless amounts of tears that flooded the field.

No, Worthy didn’t quit because he warmed the bench. It was actually quite the contrary. Worthy quit because, well, he was too good.

You don’t hear that very often when it comes to youth sports, but Worthy, a rail thin first grader at the time, was taking a beating. He played basically every position for a fairly new squad that got taken to the woodshed on a consistent basis by far more experienced programs.

“That’s the only time I’ve ever let him quit in his entire life,” Nicky said. “They made him play quarterback, wide receiver, punt returner, kick returner and even punter. He was the best one on the team, and he was getting BEAT UP every game. It was bad. He was getting torn up. It wasn’t safe…."

Xavier, tired of hearing his mom talk about his punishment in Pop Warner, interjects.

“But I had a 100 yards every game,” he says. “At least 100 yards. Tell him that.”

It’s true. Worthy has always been a level — or two or three —above his peers. Nicky proudly plays some of Xavier’s youth highlights on the family television in the living room. It doesn’t take long to realize Xavier is playing at a different speed than his counterparts.

Even before the youth league football games, Uncle Nick knew Xavier was not only athletically gifted; his nephew had the chance to be special.

“I always knew,” Nick said. “I used to take him to work with me. He wasn’t even in kindergarten yet. He was playing soccer with sixth graders. They wanted him on their team. I was like ‘this kid is going to be good.’ Every step of the way, he stepped up. I never felt nervous about him being great.”

Great, he would be.

Xavier returned to the football field three years after throwing in the towel. And he put on quite the show, scoring multiple touchdowns every game. Despite his thin frame, Xavier earned the nickname ‘Lil Thumper’ because he used to demolish kids from his linebacker spot.

“I was always the smallest on the field,” Xavier said. “I felt like I had to prove myself. I was a linebacker, and I was banging. He’ll confirm that (points to Nick). I was running people over.”

Mom wasn’t satisfied, though.

“He was always that kid in Pop Warner that scored three or four touchdowns,” Nicky said. “He could have had five or six if he wasn’t doing all those extra jukes and shit. It used to piss me off (gives Xavier a death stare). I used to work the chain gang just so I could be down there and be like ‘what are you doing?’”

Nicky was always worried that the curb was going to catch up to Xavier. While he wasn’t short, Xavier never added weight. Even as a junior last season, Xavier played at just 145 pounds. Unless you’re Hollywood Brown, that usually doesn’t work out at the next level.

Still, Xavier continued to make highlight play after highlight play. His first touch in high school was a kickoff return for a touchdown.

“I was like ‘maybe he’s going to keep getting better and better,” Nicky said. “It was crazy. My brother always said he had it. I always asked if he was going to level out. He got to high school and started on JV. He was the star there as a freshman. He was killing it.”

Xavier, whose nicknamed changed from Lil Thumper to The Flash in middle school, definitely flashed as a sophomore. Xavier was electric with the ball in his hands, had elite level speed and could catch anything thrown in his direction.

Xavier’s season was cut short due to a hip flexor injury, but he showed glimpses of what was to come. That offseason, Xavier ran a blazing 10.55 100m and was the only sophomore at the California state track and field meet.

Ask Xavier, though, and he’ll tell you it wasn’t a big deal.

“It’s not an accolade if you don’t win,” he said as he channeled his inner Ricky Bobby.

Xavier broke out as a junior with 55 receptions for 992 yards and 16 touchdowns. His film clearly screamed Top 100 prospect nationally. But he wasn’t exactly getting much attention.

San Jose State was the only school that offered Worthy before the turn of the calendar year. He was a low three-star recruit across various recruiting networks and had a blurry image as his Rivals profile picture for what seemed like forever.

Most of California’s recruiting talent is concentrated around the Los Angeles metro. Up north in Fresno, Worthy was barely a blip on the radar.

“It made me work a little harder,” Worthy said. “It made me hungrier. I knew I could compete with anybody in the country. They overlook Fresno all the time.”

Nicky encouraged Xavier to hit the camp circuit, but, in typical nonchalant Xavier fashion, he decided against it. Instead, Xavier continued to work in silence with his team and on his own.

Even on the way to his house for this feature story, Xavier bragged about tearing up his own backyard. In the scorching heat with temperatures easily above 100 degrees, Worthy would set up cones and put himself through a gauntlet of drills. Nobody was watching, but he knew his hard work would eventually payoff.

“My mom told me I needed to go to camps, and I said I wanted to get everything on my own,” Worthy said. “I said I wasn’t going to camps. I just worked in my backyard and worked with the older kids. I always had that dog in me.”

Top programs around the country soon caught wind of the biggest sleeper in the country. Just before the beginning of the dead period in April, Worthy saw his recruiting stock boom. Like out of this world sonic boom.

Oregon offered. Michigan offered. Washington offered. By the end of May, Xavier had SEC powers like Alabama, Georgia and LSU, the defending national champions, blowing up his phone on a daily basis.

“When San Jose State offered, I didn’t really know it was an offer,” Xavier said. “I thought it meant they were looking at me. I didn’t know what an offer really was. My coach told me it was an offer. I didn’t expect to blow up after that. I thought I’d maybe get Fresno State.”

Nicky added:

“When your kid is athlete, you read all the stories. When it started happening, it was like ‘oh wow.’ Right when he got his San Jose State offer, we made a board and told him ‘you’re going to have your Top 5 and do this.’ We were prepared, but you can’t be fully prepared for something you’ve never really experienced.”

Xavier and his family trusted the process, and it paid off in a big way. Nicky said if the family had to do it all over again, they would do it the exact same way. And who could blame them?

Xavier had his pick of the litter. While recruiting life hit him fast, Xavier took it in stride and carefully evaluated his options. In June, Worthy made a decision. He was going to Oregon. In fact, Worthy gave the Ducks a silent commitment and set a decision date.

But that’s a story for another day. Xavier eventually postponed his commitment, and, on July 10, he found his real home. After some summer movie drama, Xavier committed to the Michigan Wolverines.

“Michigan was different from all the other schools,” Worthy said. “(Josh) Gattis stayed consistent even when I wasn’t leaning to Michigan. He showed the film and broke it down. I met all the staff. The strength and conditioning coach broke down all the body training. All of that solidified my commitment to Michigan.”

It was actually a call with the aforementioned Josh Gattis, Michigan’s offensive coordinator, and strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert that sold Xavier and his entire family on the Wolverines.

After having some scheme questions with Oregon, Gattis did a phenomenal job of showing how Xavier would fit into his ‘speed in space’ offense and beyond.

“It was that genuine persistence,” Nicky said. “The defining factor was when we got on a call with Gattis and the strength and conditioning coach. Gattis pulled up film and showed a play from Xavier’s Hudl. Then he would say ‘look at this play.’ It would be the exact same play he ran last year. Then he would pull up the exact same play the Chiefs ran last season.

“He showed us the transition from Friday nights to Saturday afternoons to Sunday afternoons. He said ‘I’m not going to change what you’ve done. You fit us.’ I really liked that. That was the day I asked him if he wanted to go to Michigan.”

Xavier said yes, and they pulled the trigger.

“It’s basically the same offense that we run now,” Worthy said. “I see myself doing the same thing I do now. Gattis compares me to Jerry Jeudy. He said we both have long speed and the ability to get out of cuts. I don’t like to be known for my speed. I feel like I’m an all-around receiver.”

Nick, ironically, grew up a Michigan fan. When the Wolverines extended an offer, Xavier and Nicky printed off a paper with the Michigan logo and taped it in the fridge. When Nick opened it, he was filled with a range of emotions.

Little did he know Xavier would commit several months later.

“When I say it’s a dream come true, it really is,” Nick said. “I used to look at the rosters when I was little. I’ve been a Michigan fan since (Charles) Woodson. You look at my bio, and it’s Michigan. I never really thought about him going there. But when the wheel started turning, I was so excited.

“I can’t wait to watch him play there. I have Michigan gear on. I can’t wait to see him run through and touch the banner. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s actually my dream.”

Xavier’s decision to pick Michigan went beyond just the X’s and O’s. U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh prides himself on building a family culture at Michigan. But Gattis and company didn’t even have to push that angle.

Nicky and Nicky felt genuine love from the Michigan staff.

“I look at Xavier like a son,” Nick said. “Even though he’s about to be 18, I worry about him and the adult part of life. They are actually going to look after him like a man and help him succeed in life not just the football field. I can appreciate that. I feel like he’s in good hands.”

And mom won’t really ever be that far away — even if Ann Arbor is a long haul from Fresno.

“Distance was never a factor,” Nicky said. “I’ve already mapped out hopping on a Greyhound to LA and getting on a flight to Michigan. I’m going to make that happen. It was about where he was comfortable and where he wanted to go. That’s what I wanted him to think about. It’s time to explore and live your life.”

Despite all the offers and the eventual commitment to Michigan, Xavier still wasn’t getting the respect he deserved when it came to recruiting service rankings. Xavier remained a low three-star prospect all the way up until the most recent Rivals rankings update.

It was then that Xavier, who will play in the All-American Bowl in January, made the jump all the up to the No. 57 overall recruit in the country.

“My bio said stars don’t matter,” Worthy said. “It’s cool to be a five-star or a four-star, but I don’t care. It doesn’t really matter to me. If you’re really about what you do, then you’re going to show it.”

So Xavier, were you at least excited when you got the rankings bump?

“It was alright,” he said.

Nicky immediately scolds Xavier and tells him to change his answer for this story. Xavier disobeys.

“Let him put that in there,” he said. “What are they going to do? It was an honor, but I don’t care.”

So Xavier, why don’t you care?

“I’m not really a guy that gets excited,” Worthy said. “It’ll probably hit me later. But I just don’t get excited. Like I could win $3,000 right now, and I would be the same as I am right now.”

Tired of Xavier’s answers, Nicky gives one of her own.

“I’m just glad everyone is seeing what we already knew,” Nicky said. “At the same time, it’s just talk. It’s great to be recognized but go prove it. That’s always the main thing. Don’t ever let it get to your head. That’ll be gone if you’re not proving it. Not everybody can get stars, but I’d rather see that evidence as a freshman at Michigan. We try to keep the fire lit no matter how many stars are next to his name.”

Proving it. That’s something Xavier can finally get excited about.

“I’m excited to get to Michigan and do what I do best,” Worthy said. “There is nothing more to add to that.”

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