Best of Week 8: Dominant Performance Alabama 7A
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Each week, we’ll be highlighting the top performers, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and overall impact on the game. In Week 8, several players stood out with dominant performances, showcasing their elite talent and ability to make a difference on the…
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Continue ReadingEach week, we’ll be highlighting the top performers, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and overall impact on the game. In Week 8, several players stood out with dominant performances, showcasing their elite talent and ability to make a difference on the field. From quarterbacks to running backs to wide receivers, these players left a lasting impression on fans and analysts alike. In this scouting report, we’ll take a closer look at the top performers of Week 8, examining their stats, highlights, and what makes them so dominant on the field.
AJ Green
AJ Green
Rushing for 173 yards on 7 carries & 2 TDs vs Oak Mountain, Green showcased an impressive performance. Green generates significant yards because of his acceleration, burst, and twitch. These traits also translate to his work as a running back. Green’s burst allows him to reach the second and third levels of the defense, creating opportunities for long touchdown runs. He uses his acceleration to get north-south and pull away from defenders in the open field. His juice eliminates angles on outside runs and puts defenders in trail positions.
Peyton Floyd Peyton Floyd 5’11” | 175 lbs | QB Hewitt-Trussvile | 2024 State AL completed 17-of-21 passing for 161 yards & TD, 256 yards on 21 carries & 5 TDs vs Vestavia Hills. Floyd displays the strength, balance and athleticism necessary to make throws while on the run. The game of football is transitioning to whereby quarterbacks that don’t possess mobility are being quickly phased out and Floyd has plus movement skills and quick feet. I really like his ability to run the ball as he shows terrific elusiveness.
I saw him often beat defenders with any combination of speed, jukes and even brute strength at times. He has shown often on film that he does possess arm strength and accuracy necessary to succeed at the next level as well. I love Floyd seemingly ability to play fearless and he doesn’t appear to be afraid to be aggressive when throwing into tight windows or double coverage down field.
Highlights
Tyren Washington
Tyren Washington
Tyren Washington rushed for 142 yards on 34 carries & 2 TD, two 2-point conversions vs Sparkman. Washington is an energetic player who plays the game lightning quick. Shows nice agility in tight areas making defenders look silly with sudden movement skills. Has the ability to put together multiple moves making defenders miss while working off of his natural instinct. A patient runner with excellent vision who almost always makes the correct initial first read. Appears natural when running through the “trash”, easily avoiding oncoming would be tacklers because of his short area quickness and elusiveness. Not afraid to put his head down and drive through the pile to pick up positive yardage. Has the ability to maintain elite speed when cutting or bursting around the outside defenders.
Kolton Nero Kolton Nero 6’1″ | 215 lbs | RB Foley | 2024 State AL rushed for 289 yards on 22 carries & 3 TDs vs Alma Bryant. My favorite quality about Nero, and possibly one of the most underrated qualities an athlete can have is self-awareness. Nero knows his skillset and he knows what he is capable of with the ball in his hands. So many times, we see a talented athlete leave yards on the field because they try to make the big play. We seldom see Nero bounce the ball outside, but when he does, it’s the right decision. Far more often, we see him start to, only to stick his foot in the ground and get positive yardage. He is an instinctive runner with good vision, and he has a knack for creating yardage when little is available. Nero also runs with a low pad level which makes it difficult to stop his momentum. Because he runs low, he also has above-average change-of-direction skills that Nero uses to avoid solid shots from tacklers. He also has enough power to break arm tackles.
Jared Hollins Jared Hollins 6’4″ | 180 lbs | QB Mary Montgomery | 2024 State AL completed 13-of-19 passing for 201 yards & 2 TDs, 65 yards on 11 carries & 2 TDs vs Baker. He consistently throws a catchable spiral that travels well, whether driving balls to the far sideline or hanging it up deep for his receivers to run under. Between this and his impressive arm strength, it’s not uncommon to see him launch balls that travel up to 60 yards in the air.
In the pocket, Hollins is extremely detail oriented. His feet are active and quick, and he does a good job maneuvering with his weight underneath him. As Hollins works through his progressions, he squares his shoulders well while staying balanced to maintain his throwing base.
Jariell Lett
Jariell Lett
Jariell Lett recorded 6 tackles, 2 interceptions vs Baker. His feet are so quick and light, and that paired with the balance he plays with keep him prepared to spring into action once he diagnoses the route. That is an equally impressive trait for Lett. His eyes are tied to his feet, and it takes very little time for his feet to get the message. Also, Lett ‘s ability to quickly accelerate to full speed mixed with awareness makes him dangerous, whether in zone or off coverage. He keeps good balance, and as I said, there is very little layover between him seeing it and springing into action.
Romeo Washington
Romeo Washington
Romeo Washington recorded 12 tackles, 1 TFL vs Sparkman. Washington possesses agility and change of direction skills and displays lateral bounce to shift between gaps. He has the speed and slender build to shoot gaps. There were several instances when Washington’s explosiveness and lateral agility allowed him to cross a tackle’s face in the run game while barely being touched. Washington deploys his hands early in the rep and they remain active throughout his rush. He does a good job attacking the tackle’s hands. His powerful hands and arms pack pop and help him punch above his weight class.
Achilles Woods
Achilles Woods
Achilles Woods recorded 15 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 TFL vs James Clemens. Woods shows great play recognition and awareness of things going on around him. When the play goes away from him, he quickly follows and slow plays the cutback lane. You can actually see him recognize plays and his discipline to immediately step in. He does a really good job of finding the ball in the backfield and takes good angles to cut runners off.
In passing situations, he shows some solid burst off of the line, and has incredible power in his upper body. When he decides to run through tackles, they typically aren’t able to hold up. When tackles are over aggressive, he’s got a pretty nice push and pull move to free himself up as a tackler. He’s got a sweet long arm move and has the frame and power to see success with it at the next level.
DJ Jones DJ Jones 5’11” | 195 lbs | ATH Huntsville | 2024 State AL recorded 11 tackles, 4 TFL vs Florence. It starts with Jones’s effort. This is a guy who seems desperate to be involved in the play, and he will take any path to the ball in the process. Jones is also one of the more physical linebackers I’ve seen in Alabama. He usually plays with good leverage, and he when arrives at the ball carrier he drives through them. Jones also wraps up well as a tackler. Even when taking on blocks, his aggression and physicality are impressive. There is an old saying that it’s better to be the hammer than the nail, Jones is usually the hammer.
Gavin Fuqua
Gavin Fuqua
Gavin Fuqua rushed for 175 yards on 21 carries & 3 TDs vs James Clemens. Fuqua is surprisingly elusive for a player his size and can change direction fairly easy when moving at top speed. He runs with good balance, and once he gets going downhill, he is not easy to get to the ground due to that size. He also seems to have good running instincts and vision. It was impressive to watch the number of times he was carrying the ball inside, just to find an escape route to get into the open field.