Seven East Forsyth football standouts signed their letters of intent to attend college and play football in a ceremony on Feb. 12 at the school.
Three of them — Xavier Crawford, Chris Kirby and Nathan Stewart — will attend N.C. Wesleyan College. Corey Blair will attend South Dakota State. JP Gilchrist will go to Catawba College. Kendal Sawyer will go to the University of Charleston in West Virginia. Cayden Martin will go to Cabrillo Community College in California.
In addition, East’s Elijah Edwards is already enrolled at Greensboro College and will play football there.
Crawford, 6’0”, 315 pounds, is a versatile player who helped anchor the Eagles’ offensive line, Eagles Head Coach Todd Willert said.
“He played everywhere on the offensive line. He was all-conference and was a three-year starter. He played center, guard and played some at tackle. Last season he was mainly at center. He was one of our leaders on the offensive line. He will have a chance to play early just because he has played so many spots, but I think he will be at center or guard. He already has the size for it. I think him being able to play multiple positions really helped his recruiting, It is harder to do that on the offensive line. I think his chances to play early are good,” he said.
Kirby, 6’0” 255 pounds, was a three-year starter on the defensive line and an all-conference player.
“He had multiple offers. He went on a couple of visits to N.C. Wesleyan and felt comfortable there. With his quickness, I think he has a chance to possibly play early. He has great quickness for a bigger guy. He will play inside for them. He will be undersized, but his quickness and strength will make up for that,” Willert said.
Stewart was a standout middle linebacker.
“Nathan had multiple offers, and he had been on multiple visits to schools. Once again, he felt comfortable with the coaching staff at N.C. Wesleyan and he thought it was the right fit for him. All three of them like the fact that they can play with teammates down there from East also. Stewart led our team in tackles last season and was two-time all-conference,” Willert said. “He is very smart. He was kind of the quarterback of our defensive unit. His motor never stops. He is not the fastest or the biggest, but his motor never stops. I think his chances to play early there are good as long as he puts on a little bit of weight.”
Blair, 6’1” 215 pounds, was a standout running back last season and was all-conference.
“He had a number of options. He was committed to Wingate. South Dakota State came in at recruiting time and offered him a full scholarship. They liked his size, but he can run and he is extremely physical. I talked to their offensive coordinator and some of the position coaches. They are excited about how physical he plays and his size. He has the size and the skills and he can definitely have a chance to play early there,” Willert said.
Gilchrist played other positions but really stood last season as a wide receiver.
“He was a two-year varsity player for us, was all-conference and third team all-state. As a JV player he played a lot more at quarterback for us. He had a really great season for us on varsity as a wide receiver. He is very physical as a wide receiver. He is a great route runner and he has great hands. I think he was probably a little under-recruited. I think he is more of a … (NCAA Division I) player. At Catawba (which is a Division II school) I think he is a guy that can play right away,” Willert said.
Sawyer, 6’3” 190 pounds, had a breakout season in his senior year.
“Charleston is a pretty good program and they liked his size. I think his best football is ahead of him, as big as he is and with his quickness. He was on varsity for three years. He was an edge rusher and an outside linebacker, then we moved him to wide receiver … last season and he really did well for us,” Willert said. “He got better as the year went on. Once again, he will have to put a little weight on, but I think he will have the chance to play early. I know they are excited because of his size. He is a receiver/tight end type.”
Martin played cornerback, defensive back and safety.
“He has some connections out there (in California) and he knew one of the coaches. They changed the rules so going to junior college does not count against your eligibility. It will give him an opportunity to learn and grow and then go to another school. He played defensive back for us, primarily at cornerback, and he also played safety for us. He has very good speed and good eye-hand coordination, which a cornerback needs. I think they like the fact that he can play in multiple spots, and I can see him playing multiple spots in college,” Willert said.
Edwards, 5’11” 190 pounds, could not come to the signing ceremony because has was taking a science course that morning at Greensboro College.
“He was two-time all-conference. He was a defensive back for us and he played strong safety and corner back. He is a good-sized guy, and he may play more there as a safety or nickel back just because of his size and how well he moves,” Willert said. “I think he will have a chance to play early because of his size and all the things he can do, and also enrolling early helps his chances.”
