3,500-yard college football transfer QB announces commitment after All-American season

The NCAA transfer portal is absolutely stacked this year. That's just the nature of the beast: only 15 days for players across the country to officially enter the portal after the NCAA eliminated the spring window.

Swift decisions have to be made on all sides, whether it's players weighing whether to stay or go or schools trying to figure out their 105-man rosters.

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The quarterback market, in particular, is filled with plenty of talent. From experienced veterans and promising young talent at the FBS level and beyond, there's no shortage of available bodies.

One former DII star is moving up the ranks ahead of the 2026 season.

On Wednesday evening, redshirt sophomore quarterback transfer Marcus Stokes announced his commitment to Memphis, per On3's Hayes Fawcett. Stokes also took visits to Syracuse and Appalachian State.

The Tigers were in the market for a quarterback. Starter Brendon Lewis graduated following the 2025 season, while promising true freshman AJ Hill followed former head coach Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas. Now, Charles Huff gets his guy after being hired by Memphis from Southern Miss.

Stokes is coming off a breakout campaign at West Florida, where he was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award, which essentially serves as the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy at the D2 level. The Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year, he completed 233/368 passes for 3,297 yards with 30 touchdowns to 13 interceptions while rushing 82 times for 367 yards and 19 more scores.

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He was also named D2CCA Super Region 2 Offensive Player of the Year while earning a spot on the D2Football.com's Elite 100 team.

The Florida native threw for 250+ yards in seven games, including a season-high 353 yards on 20/29 passing with 4 touchdowns to 1 interception in a 48-21 victory against Lenoir-Rhyne University on August 29. Stokes had four games with 4+ touchdown passes.

Stokes guided the Argonauts to a 10-2 record and a run in the playoffs, falling in the second round.

Originally committed to the Florida Gators as a three-star prospect in the 2023 class, Stokes ended up at West Florida. He redshirted in his first year with the program and started eight games as a redshirt freshman.

In three seasons with the Argonauts, Stokes completed 338/581 passes for 4,890 yards with 44 touchdowns to 21 interceptions. He added 153 carries for 587 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Stokes is ranked as the No. 90 QB transfer according to On3.

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