PRZCJ’s Notebook: Evaluating West Forsyth vs. North Forsyth
This past Friday was my first time seeing these two play in a game setting. The atmosphere looked and felt great even an hour before kick. As you can imagine, the game didn’t disappoint. Here are my evaluations from a…
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Continue ReadingThis past Friday was my first time seeing these two play in a game setting. The atmosphere looked and felt great even an hour before kick. As you can imagine, the game didn’t disappoint.
Here are my evaluations from a hard-fought, energetic football game.
West Forsyth
Max Walraven Max Walraven 6'5" | 190 lbs | QB West Forsyth | 2026 State GA – 2026 – QB
Walraven was the prospect I was most excited to see coming into the event. Walraven is all of 6’5 185 with good arm strength, speed, and is not even close to reaching his peak growth physically. There were a few misfires, as you could expect with younger QBs, but his ability to keep plays alive with his legs and play backyard football could be what put West Forsyth over the top. He has a clean release for such a lanky prospect and looks natural as a runner in the open field. North Forsyth did a good job of sniffing out the QB run, but there were a few times when Walraven slipped away when needed and stayed ahead of the chains. Coming into Friday, I was aware of the physical tools that Walraven brought to the table. After seeing him in person, his gamesmanship, toughness, and creativity shined through and were enough to outweigh some misfires for me. Walraven has P5 upside and should play himself onto the P5 radar this year.
Brady Allen – 2024 – OLB
Brady Allen looks the part at OLB with his 6’2 210 frame and decent length. He can come firing off the edge and can drop back into a traditional LB spot to play in space. His future is probably doing a mix of both. Allen did an outstanding job of engaging blocks all night, re-firing his hands and locking out his arms to keep himself from getting tied up. Most of Allen’s production came on the edge, where he lined up with a direct runway to the backfield and quickly closed the gap. He has outstanding instincts and an explosive first step, which allows him to impact the ball carrier before the play even has a chance to develop. His pass-rushing presence was felt as well, showing the ability to funnel the QB and get him off-platform in the pocket. Allen showed a solid mix of a hot motor and pass-rushing moves while getting after the QB, firing his hands and spinning off blockers in an attempt to create separation. Allen is a true senior-sleeper who absolutely has the tools to play at the collegiate level. He is worthy of a look.
Tyler Hoffman – 2024 – DL
Hoffman is a super intriguing prospect coming in at around 6’4 220. He is quick coming off the edge and has excellent length, which he uses to his advantage to pry off blockers and poke away at the football. Hoffman was one of the more impressive prospects physically against North Forsyth, but he has plenty of room from head to toe to add more weight and optimize his frame. Simply put, he has high upside and might have his best football ahead of him. Even though he is still slim, Hoffman showed excellent surge and drive from his lower body. When paired with his length, he is capable of knocking blockers on their heels and slipping by to make plays. I am a huge fan of Hoffman’s upside and believe he is a hidden gem in the northern region of the state.
Ryder Stewart – 2024 – ATH
Defense dominated and was the focal point of the action, but Stewart was the top playmaker for the Wolverines and made numerous athletic plays all night to move the chains. Stewart is a versatile, YAC machine who ran with intent. He isn’t the biggest, but he has a pretty stout frame which allowed him to shrug off weak tackling attempts from the defense. He is extremely slippery and can break a defender down with his footwork. He doesn’t get caught dancing in the open field, once he moves the defender off his platform, he slips by and begins the chase to the endzone. While scampering downfield, Stewart showcases great vision and is able to weave in and out of running lanes quickly, forcing weak lunge tackles by defenders. Stewart also flashed some athleticism, hurdling a defender in the open field to gain some extra yards. Stewart is breaking out as a senior and will generate some buzz as a result.
North Forsyth
Brady Holbrook – 2025 – ATH
Holbrook was the most impressive North Forsyth prospect on Friday. His combination of size and speed drew some lifted eyebrows and some wow’s from spectators. Holbrook is listed at 6’1 and moves like a truck in the open field. He broke off a few solid kick returns, one going to the house before getting called back for a TD. He also took a slant to the endzone, slipping tackles and lifting away from the defense. He isn’t a huge speed threat, but he has outstanding vision and uses his long, powerful strides to accelerate and create momentum downfield. When forced with contact, Holbrook dropped his shoulder and packed a punch. Holbrook is a unique football player with a blend of size and speed. With another year of development left for him, watch out. He is a multi-sport athlete as well.
Darron Parry – RB – 2026
Parry isn’t a demanding RB physically at 5’7 155, but he earned my respect and garnered my attention thanks to his efforts on Friday. For a smaller back, I thought he absorbed contact well and played with a physical edge. In fact, there were several times when he was able to move the pile against a stout West Forsyth defense. He is a patient, decisive runner who can pinball off defenders and maintain balance while piecing his way through the first two levels. He also did a good job of letting his blocks develop and riding them for as long as possible. His yards before contact had to be pretty solid, and he wasn’t easy to bring down when engaged. Once I see Parry get more action in the open field, I will have a more sound evaluation. However, he is a very tough runner who is still young and developing. All reason’s to keep tabs on him.
Colter Vela – 2025 – DB
Vela was one of the prospects I had circled coming into the event. He produced last year at a high level and I was told by someone pregame that he was a “gamer”. That statement certainly turned out to be true. You will find more athletic and speedy safeties, but Vela reads and reacts among the best in the state and always puts himself in proper position to make plays. Early on, Vela was flying from sideline to sideline in pursuit of the football. He is a good tackler in the open field as well. When coming downhill to strike, I thought Vela did a good job of slowing up and mirroring the ball carrier instead of going in for the kill shot. This means Vela didn’t get flushed downfield. Instead, he put himself in prime position to make a play on the football. Vela is a tackling machine bound to rack up tackles over the next two years.
Zach Alvarez – 2025 – CB
Similar to Walraven, Alvarez was the guy I had circled for North Forsyth. He is an impressive athlete with the length and speed profile to play at corner. While Alvarez is certainly raw and grabby at his current stage of development, I saw numerous green flags in his game that I think could lead to solid development. For starters, he isn’t afraid to get physical and re-route receivers at the line. While this may get him in trouble at times, you’d rather have to coach physicality out of a kid than into a kid. A few times, Alvarez took away the first read for the QB by getting up in the grill of the wideout and tying him up. He also showed the willingness and ability to come downhill and strike, something that even the best CBs at the next level have trouble doing. I think there’s D1 upside to his game and I would expect Alvarez to improve each week.