Florida Gators Flip Penn State QB Commit Marcus Stokes

The Florida Gators have their 2023 quarterback after flipping former Penn State commit Marcus Stokes, who hails from the high school where Tim Tebow played prep ball.

Photo: Marcus Stokes; Credit: Zach Goodall

Head coach Billy Napier and the Florida Gators have found their 2023 quarterback, successfully able to flip the commitment of Nease (Fla.) signal-caller Marcus Stokes from Penn State on Thursday.

AllGators named Stokes a quarterback to know prior to his spring visit to Gainesville, and most recently included the Jacksonville-area gunslinger among the seven Elite 11 Finalists that Florida could pursue going forward in the class of 2023.

Stokes originally announced his pledge to the Nittany Lions on April 8, as Penn State was the first Power 5 program to send him an offer. Florida waited until the summer to hit Stokes' inbox with a scholarship opportunity as the new Gators' coaching staff had prioritized now-Miami QB commit Jaden Rashada for some time, but the delay paid off.

Following his trek to UF on March 26, Stokes had nothing but good things to say about Florida's staff and his potential fit in Napier's offense.

"I think they're building a great program here, a great culture, and the coaches are doing a really good job with recruiting," Stokes told AllGators. "I would fit very well in their offense."

Stokes hails from the same high school that legendary former Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow starred at in the early 2000s, a point that the UF staff has teased him about when he's been in town.

Every single coach came up to me and they were like "Oh yeah, that's Tim Tebow's old school!'" Stokes said. "And I was like 'Yeah, yeah. Not the first time I've heard that.' And it won't be the last, definitely won't."

Now that Stokes is a Gator, no, it surely won't be. 

Stokes, 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, broke out during his junior season by passing for 2,672 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions with 496 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. The Gators' coaching staff was also impressed with his showing at The Swamp Shootout 7-on-7 camp in June, a team source told AllGators.

You can find Sports Illustrated's John Garcia, Jr.'s evaluation of Stokes from the Elite 11 Finals below.

The arm talent really is undeniable. He's as confident a quarterback as there is, and there's so much dynamite in his right arm [with] just a dynamic release. It's quick, it's strong, he's comfortable doing that in the pocket, off-platform, and on the run. Whenever you need that money throw, he's the most capable to do it.

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