Last week was a huge week for the Florida Gators as not only did they continue their momentum on the recruiting trail, but they also flipped a quarterback into the class.
Quarterback Marcus Stokes (6-2, 185, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Nease) flipped to Florida from Penn State and he says it was a pretty easy decision for him.
“I can only say one thing and that’s home is where the heart is,” Stokes said on why he flipped to Florida. “It’s really between me and my family there really wasn’t a text or conversation that I had with the coaches. We [his family] moved to Florida for a reason and Florida has always been good to us so why leave.”
Stokes worked out for the coaching staff in June during a 7-on-7 camp and head coach Billy Napier watched that closely and offered the quarterback soon after that.
“Coach Napier offered me right before the Elite 11,” he said on when he picked up the offer from Florida. “I didn’t make any decision until after because I wanted to be focused on the Elite 11, but he really said to think on it and think on it really hard. He said to make sure my decision was 100 percent.”
Napier and quarterbacks coach Ryan O’Hara explained to Stokes why they like his game and how he fits into the Gators’ offense.
“They went into a lot of depth about how I play and how I can spread the field,” Stokes said on what the coaches told him about what they like about his game. “They like how I can turn nothing into something.”
Stokes also knows what Napier and his coaching staff is looking for out of their quarterback in their system that will be showcased this fall.
“Obviously someone who can use their legs,” he said on what Napier told him he looks for in a quarterback. “Use their legs whenever a play hits the fan and then have a strong arm. Just really being able to spread the field and turn something from nothing.”
Now that Stokes has committed to Florida, he says he will start to recruit others to join him in Gainesville and he already has a few guys in mind.
“It’s very important and all I have to say is it’s Florida,” Stokes said on recruiting others to Florida to join him. “Florida is the sunshine state and dreams come true in Florida so why not come to Florida. I want to try and get the flip from Roderick Kearney and then I want Payton Kirkland as well. We want Andy Jean, [Daquayvious] Sorey, Aidan [Mizell] and I’m just trying to see who else is out there.”
Being from Nease, Stokes has already heard how he’s following in Tim Tebow’s footsteps and the quarterback says he heard from the Heisman Trophy winner recently.
“I actually just heard from him [Tim Tebow],” he said. “He DM’ed me on Instagram and texted me. He told me that he had great things about me. It’s crazy to follow in his footsteps but I also want to create my own legacy.”