QB From a Familiar High School Schedules Florida Gators Visit
Photo: Marcus Stokes; Credit: Zach Goodall
The Florida Gators have been very selective when it comes to recruiting quarterbacks in the early stages of Billy Napier's head coaching tenure.
So far. only one signal-caller in the class of 2023 has publicly shared an offer from Napier and his staff, that being Christopher Vizzina of Briarwood Christian (Ala.). Isidore Newman's (La.) Arch Manning, an NFL legacy and the prize of the 2023 cycle nationwide, has met with Napier in person which would lead one to believe he has an offer in hand as well.
That being said, arguably the best quarterback in the state of Florida in this class, Marcus Stokes, has scheduled a visit to meet Napier and his crew of Gators' assistant coaches on March 26.
Stokes is a product of Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Fla., who has exploded onto the recruiting scene following a productive junior season and impressive showings at the Adidas All-American Bowl scouting combine in January and the Under Armour Miami camp in February.
His high school is certainly a familiar one for Florida fans, as Nease is where Gators legendary quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow played during his prep career.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Stokes is the highest-rated quarterback in the state of Florida in the class of 2023 and the No. 18 passer in the country.
During his breakout 2021 campaign, Stokes completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 2,672 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and he added 496 yards and six scores on the ground.
Power 5 offers have recently begun to roll in for Stokes, as Penn State, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh have come calling since the start of the year.
You can find Sports Illustrated All-American's quick report on Stokes' Under Armour Miami performance below.
Stokes tosses a pretty deep ball and the velocity required to make sideline throws is there. The Ponte Vedra (Fla.) Nease High School standout, who has the chance to be the most highly-recruited since Tim Tebow was at the helm, gained his first Power 5 offer from Penn State in late January and Indiana and Virginia Tech were quick to follow.
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