Penn State Loses Quarterback Commit to Florida

Marcus Stokes, a 4-star prospect from Florida, announces that he's flipping to the Gators.

Penn State's 2023 recruiting class lost its quarterback Thursday, as Marcus Stokes switched his commitment to Florida.

Stokes announced his decision on social media.

"First and foremost, I am very grateful for all of the opportunities to be able to pursue my dream of playing football at the collegiate level," Stokes wrote in his Twitter post. "I would like to thank penn state [sic] for supporting me, loving me, and showing the same to my family. This was not the easiest decision to make. After taking time talking with my family and staying up late nights listening to my heart ... I will be flipping my commitment to the University of Florida!"

Stokes' switch comes two weeks after he attended a camp at Florida and one week after participating in the Elite 11 Finals in California. There, Stokes impressed quarterbacks and talent evaluators with his strong arm.

"The arm talent really is undeniable," said John Garcia, Jr., Sports Illustrated's director of recruiting. "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."

Stokes' decommitment is a blow to Penn State's 2023 recruiting class, which thought it had followed 2022's strong dual-quarterback group. Penn State was the first Power 5 school to offer Stokes a scholarship. At the Elite 11 Finals, Stokes said he had heard rumors about flipping to other schools but maintained his commitment to Penn State.

"Obviously I've been seeing it on social media," Stokes told Garcia in California. "You know, 'Just try to flip Marcus Stokes, that's the only hope for the Gators.' But I'm locked in [with Penn State]."

Stokes, who is from Ponte Vedra, committed to Penn State in April following a recruiting tour that included stops at Cincinnati, Indiana, Mississippi and Florida State. He is is a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports, and the No. 22 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

In an interview Wednesday, before Stokes announced his decision, Garcia considered Penn State to be in a good position with the quarterback.

"It says a lot about Penn State's scouting, being on him sooner than basically all the schools in the area," Garcia said. "It seemed like before he committed, Florida, Miami and all these schools were nearing that scholarship offer, and just before they could get there, Penn State had him committed. And he's saying all the right things since that point, even though Florida still is looking for a quarterback. So that will be interesting to follow."

Penn State's 2023 recruiting class now has 15 players committed.

It was a big recruiting day for Florida, which also received a commitment from 4-star running back Treyeun Webb.

😎😎

— COACH BILLY NAPIER (@coach_bnapier) July 7, 2022

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