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Wisconsin Badgers reached out to productive but controversial QB in transfer portal

The Wisconsin Badgers are in touch with one of the best quarterbacks in Division-II, but he carries some real baggage from his past that make things tricky for any school.
Lorin Cox|
West Florida quarterback Marcus Stokes (2) entered the transfer portal after a highly productive season at the Division-II level
West Florida quarterback Marcus Stokes (2) entered the transfer portal after a highly productive season at the Division-II level | Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers are going to be connected to most big-name quarterbacks that enter the transfer portal this winter.

But they're getting a head start with the top name coming out of Division-II who is getting plenty of Power 5 interest.

He comes with some real baggage, though.

West Florida quarterback Marcus Stokes told On3 national recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett that Wisconsin is one of the teams that has reached out to him since he entered the portal.

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Stokes was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country last season, throwing for over 3,500 yards and 40 touchdowns this season.

That kind of play-making ability makes him an intriguing option to jump up to the Division-I level for a team like the Badgers.

Talent wasn't the issue for him as a three-star recruit coming out of high school in Jacksonville, though.

Stokes was committed to play for the Florida Gators on scholarship in the 2023 class, but the offer was pulled after video surfaced of him using a racial slur.

He apologized and said it was because he was singing along to a rap song that used the slur, but the incident derailed his football career and led him to the Division-II level.

Related: Latest QB to enter transfer portal has ties to Wisconsin Badgers offensive coordinator

After a productive season, he's trying to make the jump back up to D-I, but any school that brings him in will have to be prepared to answer questions about his past.

It might be more baggage than a team like Wisconsin wants to take on, given that it's no sure thing that his success at West Florida will translate to the Big Ten.

Luke Fickell needs as close to a sure thing under center as he can get, and Stokes' past controversy only makes it that much harder to bring him in.

They're doing their homework by reaching out, but it would be a surprise to see the Badgers make him a priority.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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