Marcus Stokes (football)
| University of West Florida Argonauts – No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | Ponte Vedra, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | University of West Florida (2023–present) |
| High school | Nease (Ponte Vedra, Florida) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Marcus Stokes is an American football quarterback for the University of West Florida Argonauts.
Early life
[edit]Marcus Stokes was born in Ponte Vedra, Florida.[1] He grew up playing basketball and football, recording a 4.82-second 40-yard dash and 30.5-inch vertical jump.[1] Stokes attended Nease High School, the alma mater of Tim Tebow and played as a dual-threat quarterback.[1]
High School Career
[edit]At Nease High School, Stokes emerged as a top quarterback prospect. In his junior year (2021), he threw for 2,672 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions, while rushing for 496 yards and six touchdowns, leading Nease to a 9-4 record and the regional finals in Florida's second-highest classification.[2][1] In his senior year (2022), he completed 136 of 248 passes (54.8%) for 1,867 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, and rushed for 582 yards and 13 touchdowns, though Nease finished 2-8.[3][2] Over two seasons, Stokes amassed 4,498 yards and 58 total touchdowns.[2]
Rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports and the No. 11 quarterback by ESPN, Stokes was an Elite 11 finalist.[3][4] He initially committed to Penn State in April 2022, flipped to Florida in July, but had his scholarship withdrawn in November 2022.[5][6][7]
College career
[edit]Stokes signed with the University of West Florida Argonauts, a Division II program, on February 1, 2023.[8][9] In his redshirt freshman season (2024), he started eight games, completing 112 of 209 passes for 1,540 yards and 14 touchdowns.[10] His performance in a Gulf South Conference game against Delta State earned him GSC Offensive Player of the Week honors in October 2024.[11][12]
Controversy
[edit]In November 2022, the University of Florida withdrew Stokes's scholarship offer after a video surfaced on social media showing him using a racial slur while singing a rap song.[5][13] Stokes issued a public apology, stating, "I deeply apologize for the words in the song that I chose to say. It was hurtful and offensive to many people, and I regret that."[5][14] After the incident, Stokes received offers from Albany State University and the University of West Florida, with Albany State later rescinding its offer due to community backlash.[15][14] West Florida's coaching staff reviewed the incident before signing him.[8][16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Marcus Stokes - Nease - Quarterback". On3.com. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b c "Northeast Florida Sports Jacksonville Marcus Stokes". DuvalSports.com. 2022-07-30. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b "Marcus Stokes, Nease, Quarterback". 247Sports.com. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Marcus Stokes' 'Natural Arm Talent' Stands Out at Elite 11". Penn State Nittany Lions On SI. 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ a b c "Nease QB Marcus Stokes, dropped from Florida after rapping racial slur, receives offer from HBCU". Sports Illustrated. Jan 26, 2023. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "3-star QB Marcus Stokes commits to University of West Florida". On3.com. Feb 1, 2023. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Elite 11 Finals 2022: Penn State QB commit Marcus Stokes expresses excitement over Nittany Lions future". 247Sports. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ a b Vilona, Bill (Feb 1, 2023). "National Signing Day: UWF Lands Former Florida QB Commitment Stokes In Signing Class". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ Pepper, Cole (2023-02-01). "Nease quarterback Marcus Stokes signs with West Florida". WJXT. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "Marcus Stokes - 2025 - Football". University of West Florida Athletics. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
- ^ "Stokes Named GSC Offensive Player of the Week". University of West Florida Athletics. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "4-Star QB Marcus Stokes Loses Florida Scholarship Offer After Rapping N-Word in Video". Bleacher Report. 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b "Former Gators QB Commit Marcus Stokes Signs With West Florida". Sports Illustrated. Feb 1, 2023. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Marcus Stokes, former Florida QB commit whose scholarship was pulled due to racial slur, gets HBCU offer". CBS Sports. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ "Former Gators commit Marcus Stokes signs with University of West Florida". WEAR-TV. Feb 1, 2023. Retrieved 2025-05-14.