Burmese size/growth question

[Caitlin]

I have a question about size and growth rate of Burms.

A good friend of mine takes in unwanted snakes, gets them stabilized, and finds good homes for them. A few months ago, she took in a young python the keeper initially claimed to be a Burmese/Ball hybrid, but they later said they weren't sure. Given the current price of 'Burm/Ball' hybrids, I question that a surrendered rescue would be a hybrid.

History on this snake is sketchy, but to our best knowledge this is a male (confirmed via probe) and from what we know of his history, we are confident that he is between 1 and 1.5 years old. He is just 24" long, with excellent body condition and an enthusiastic appetite. His history does not include neglect that we are aware of; his original keepers had financial difficulties and felt they couldn't keep him.

My friend is usually great about rehoming these animals, but something about this snake really clicked for her, and from what I can see it's mutual. He has been extremely calm with her from day one, often 'paces' at the enclosure door when she is in the room, and immediately climbs out onto her hands. She and her family have absolutely fallen in love with him.

In addition to the rescues, she has a small group of snakes she keeps as her personal pets. She builds her own PVC enclosures, and they are LARGE and environmentally enriched, and she has the resources for another pet. However, she is a single mom and while she's in great condition (she runs and lifts weights), she is a small woman and has always been clear that she never wants to keep a snake more than about 7' long. She feels that she needs to find a home for this snake because of his eventual adult size, but it's breaking her heart.

I have not had a Burm for decades, though I have a fair amount of experience with them from my years as a vet tech in exotics practices. But I am no expert so I have hesitated to say much. That's why I am posting here. My uninformed opinion is that this snake is either a hybrid or else he's just quite small, and if he is only 2' long at over a year of age, has been on a regular feeding schedule and in good body condition, he is not going to be a huge snake. The Burms I've been around were closer to 4' long or more at his age.

I'd love to reassure my friend that she can keep him as a pet without being concerned that he is going to be a 12' snake, but I just don't feel I have the expertise to say that for sure. What do you guys think? I'm including a photo of him with my friend so you can see his markings. You can see she adores him