Florida Gators Commit Marcus Stokes, QB Coach Break Down Play Style
Photo: Marcus Stokes; Credit: UF Football Communications
Last week, Florida landed who many believe is now the jewel of the Gators' 2023 football recruiting class. Quarterback Marcus Stokes (Nease, Fla.) is one of the latest to commit to the program, flipping from Penn State to Florida just last week.
What was a dream offer now turned into a commitment that can only blossom from here, Stokes took to the radio waves alongside his quarterback coach Denny Thompson, based in Jacksonville, Fla., to discuss his pledge and play style.
"One of my favorite guys I've ever worked with, y'all can see the personality," Thompson said of Stokes on 'The Frangie Show' last week.
"That's his greatest attribute as good of a quarterback as he is. The personality, the energy that he brings into, not just our facility, but Nease High School. I mean, what they've done there, and what [Nease head] coach [Collin] Drafts has done with him has been amazing."
RELATED: Scouting report — Gators QB commit Marcus Stokes
Thompson has coached several quarterbacks that have made it to the next level, and he's even coached some NFL quarterbacks during his time at 6Points. That list includes Florida QB Anthony Richardson, who made tremendous strides in the years working under Thompson and, of course, the Florida coaching staff.
Stokes feels his personality is certainly what helps him at the QB position, but it's ultimately how he utilizes that laid-back personality on the gridiron that makes his play that much better.
"I like to have fun when I play, I like to have a certain amount of swagger," Stokes said when asked to describe his play style as a QB.
"I've been called gritty, as you can say, and I think that's a very good attribute to have as a quarterback. Because you don't want to be nervous on the field, you want to feel like you know what you're doing and you don't want to have any second thoughts about what you're doing.
"I feel like I can expand the play as well. I can use my legs and run if I need to."
Stokes, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds has shown throughout his young football career that he does play with a bit of a swagger. He has a knack for being able to get the ball out of his hands from unconventional angles and can take off and run if need be, as shown by his nearly 500 rushing yards last season.
To Thompson, that's an accurate assessment of the Florida commit, noting that his personality certainly shows in his game. To Thompson, Stokes is a great example of a "rhythm player."
"There's times where he can freestyle something and make something out of nothing ... You gotta give him some rope, like you got to give him the ability of freestyle and good things are gonna happen," Thompson noted.
Still, it's not just Stokes' ability to make something out of nothing or extend a play hat that makes him special. It's his ability to also make the easy throws that make him a "rhythm" player as Thompson noted.
"The rarity in Marcus is that the throws that have to be made, he can also make. A lot of times those guys, they'll give you the flash plays, they'll give you the fun plays, they'll give the highlights, but they won't give you that 70% completion percentage on the easy throws."
Thompson would also go on to praise Stokes' coachability, something that is needed at the QB position at any level of football, but particularly at the lower levels in high school and college.
For Florida, that will entice the program, understanding that they can mold Stokes into the QB they believe will bring the most success to the football team.
That, of course, will occur in time for Stokes and Florida. The program will anticipate him signing and go from there. With Stokes entering the fold, Napier has a QB that fits to his coaching style, a QB that can make plays on the move, but also make the easy throws in the middle of the field.
That's something to look forward to next year and beyond as the team continues to rebuild under its new regime.
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