Who is Marcus Stokes? 4-star QB loses University of Florida scholarship after he rapped N-word in video
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA: Marcus Stokes' football scholarship offer from the University of Florida was withdrawn on Sunday, November 20, after he used the N-word while rapping along to a song. Stokes was spotted in the now-deleted video, saying "welcome back" and using the racial slur while imitating a song's lyrics.
Stokes, a star quarterback at Nease High School, had previously made a commitment to play collegiate football for the Gators in July. He apologized for the racial slur on his Twitter account shortly after the university withdrew its scholarship offer. He wrote in a statement posted on Sunday, "I was in my car listening to rap music, rapping along to the words and posted video of it to social media. I deeply apologize for the words in the song which I chose to say." Tim Tebow, a legend at the University of Florida, attended the same high school as Stokes, who acknowledged that his offer had been withdrawn following the event.
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Stokes wrote, "My intent was never to hurt anybody and I recognize that even going along with a song, my words still carry a lot of weight." He switched his pledge from Penn State to Florida in July after receiving more than a dozen offers from Division 1 colleges. Watch the controversial video here.
In the midst of the controversy, Stokes received some consolation from fellow Florida prep star and Orange Park-based Gators offensive line commit Roderick Kearney. "Prayers out to Marcus Stokes and his family on the rest of his education and college football decision," he wrote. Kearney added, "Great kid with a lot of heart. As young men in this society, we must be careful with the things we do, say or post. Everything is under a microscope."
Stokes wrote, "I fully accept the consequences of my actions. And I respect the University of Florida’s decision to withdraw my scholarship offer to play football." The choice to revoke Stokes' scholarship was taken soon before Florida recruited Jaden Rashada of California, another highly regarded prep quarterback prospect.
Who is Marcus Stokes?
Marcus Stokes is the son of Kevin and Wendy Stokes and has a sibling named Lucas. He helped Nease High School in Ponde Vedra Beach, Florida, pull off one of the most incredible comebacks in Florida high school football in 2021. Stokes claimed that he likes to compose music in his free time.
Stokes, a four-star 2023 QB recruit, received numerous significant offers before committing to Florida after initially choosing Penn State. He received offers from a number of other mid-level FBS schools, including Pitt, Utah, Virginia Tech, and others.
