QB Marcus Stokes Talks Commitment to Florida Gators: ‘It’s a Crazy Feeling'
It's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks for one of the Florida Gators' most recent commits, Nease (Fla.) quarterback Marcus Stokes. Stokes announced on Thursday that he would be decommitting from Penn State, and made the pledge to Florida just moments later.
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Truthfully, Stokes was a commitment that a lot in Gator Nation were hoping for after missing out on a quarterback just a couple of weeks prior. Now, they'll be able to celebrate as they welcome a new player to Gainesville, part of the 2023 recruiting class.
Stokes' intentions to commit to Florida were made on 'The Frangie Show,' a local sports radio show on 1010XL/92.5FM in Jacksonville (Fla.), very close to where Stokes attends high school in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The day couldn't have gone any better for the rising senior as he is now able to play for what he told the radio hosts was the only offer that could have really changed the way he felt about Penn State.
"A week ago, I got an offer from a school that really could change my life. And I was excited about it," Stokes said referring to the scholarship opportunity he received from the Gators.
"It made me reconsider my decision. So today, I decommitted from Penn State. And it's all love for Penn State. They've done a lot for me ... they've shown the same amount of love as they did to me, to my parents as well. So, you know, it's always going to be love towards them, and I'll never forget what they've done."
Stokes originally committed to the Nittany Lions on April 8. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago after he attended a camp on Florida's campus, on June 22, that he even contemplated going to Florida.
In fact, Stokes stated during the Elite 11 competition that he took part in a couple of weeks ago, that he was steadfast in his commitment to Penn State. Now, things have changed.
"What's next for me is I'm becoming a Florida Gator," he said with excitement. "I called [Gators head] coach [Billy] Napier. I told him 'I'm ready to become a Gator' and everybody was ecstatic. So it's a crazy feeling."
Everyone, Napier included, was ecstatic based on their reactions to his commitment. The coaching staff knows they landed a player that will become a building block for the university for years to come, or at least that's the hope.
Stokes explains that he loves that Florida is so close to home. Not only will that impact himself and his family, but it will also give him the ability to continue training with his quarterback coach in Jacksonville, Denny Tompson, who currently trains Stokes at his academy, 6 Points Jacksonville.
Prior to Napier joining the program, Stokes, admittedly, didn't know too much about the former Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns' head coach. It wasn't until Stokes took his first visit to Florida on March 26 that he really began to know his future coach. That's when the two first made a connection that apparently will last quite a while once Stokes signs on the dotted line.
"Before Florida, I didn't really know much about him. But once I took a visit there and like really got to know him. I got to see how good of a person he is and how great of a coach he is. So, it's always something great to have."
The most famous Nease high school player to commit to the Gators is none other than Gator Great and soon-to-be College Football Hall of Fame QB Tim Tebow. Though Stokes understands that's some incredible shoes to fill, he's excited to be just a part of some history within the program, becoming the latest Nease QB to attend UF.
"It's crazy to think about how small of a world it is, you know? I come from Maryland, haven't lived in Florida, my whole life, and don't know anything about where Tim Tebow is from," Stokes explained. "And so, you know, just being able to be a part of this history is insane. It's a great feeling."
Stokes is, of course, excited to begin recruiting on behalf of the university for his recruiting class. In fact, he's already begun that, tweeting at a couple of potential Gators on Twitter. He's making an impact, and it's only just begun.
"I'm beyond excited to start recruiting for this class. And I'm ready to be a part of what we're building here at Florida."
At the end of the day, though, this was a huge achievement for a local kid from North Florida. He will have the opportunity to attend one of his dream schools, somewhere close to home, with prestige and the ability to potentially play sooner rather than later.
He understands that Florida already has a signal-caller in QB Anthony Richardson, someone he is already familiar with as Richardson also trains with Thompson in Jacksonville. He described the Florida QB as a "crazy athlete" and someone that will likely enjoy the opportunity to get to the NFL after this season.
"I'm proud [of] Anthony," Stokes said. "The amount of work that he puts in the lab, and the amount of hours that he's with Denny [Thompson] is impeccable. Like, it's crazy. You know, he's, he's a crazy athlete, I definitely think that he's gonna go to the NFL after this year, because I just know, he's gonna have a great year."
Still, the young QB is ready to come in and compete, and though he doesn't know if there will be an open competition by the time he enrolls, he's ready for anything.
"Go Gators."
You can listen to the full interview with Stokes on 1010XL by clicking here or watch the video that was released by the radio station on Thursday.
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