Florida Withdraws QB Commit Marcus Stokes' Scholarship Offer
Photo: Marcus Stokes; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Florida withdrew the scholarship of committed 2023 quarterback Marcus Stokes on Sunday after a controversial video of Stokes stating a racial slur surfaced via social media on Friday.
In the video, Stokes can be seen in a car and heard saying "welcome back," followed by the slur.
Per NCAA rules, universities are not allowed to publicly comment about a recruiting prospect until they have signed with the school.
"I fully accept the consequences for my actions and respect the University of Florida's decision to withdraw my scholarship offer to play football," Stokes said in a note he posted to Twitter.
Stokes had been committed to Florida since July 7.
Florida began to pursue Stokes during the summer after missing out on their top quarterback option in the class Jaden Rashada. The Gators were able to pull Stokes away from his previous pledge to James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions during the offseason.
Stokes has accounted for 1,867 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 54.8% completion during his senior campaign, according to 247Sports. The Ponte Vedra (Fla.) Nease quarterback was expected to be a project piece for the Gators in the early stages of his career with hopes of developing into a contributor down the line.
He stood as the lone quarterback in the Gators' class this cycle until recently, when Rashada shockingly flipped his commitment from Miami to Florida on November 11. At that time, Stokes vocalized his desire to remain committed and offer UF a second passer for head coach Billy Napier's first full recruiting class in Gainesville.
Rashada will now move forward as the lone signal caller commit in Florida's 2023 class, as a result of their disassociation with Stokes.
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