Former Florida QB Commit Who Lost Scholarship After Racial Slur Now Loses Surprise Offer From HBCU

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It appears that Marcus Stokes is yet again on the search for a new college football team to call home?

Who in the world is Marcus Stokes? Well that’s a good question.

While most fans are up to date on the story of former Florida Gators quarterback commit Jaden Rashada, not many know about Stokes’ story.

Rashada, of course, flipped from the Miami Hurricanes to the Gators before asking out of his letter of intent over breach of contract on a reported $13 million NIL deal.

But before he was ever committed to Florida, there was Stokes. A four-star QB per 247Sports out of Nease High School in Florida, Stokes joined the Gators after previously committing to Penn State. When Rashada flipped his commitment, many assumed Stokes would look elsewhere.

Instead, he stayed the course. That is, until the Gators pulled his scholarship after he filmed himself rapping along a song that included his use of a racial slur. The move left Stokes without a home and his recruitment went cold after a difficult senior season.

Though his name popped up again recently when he announced that he’d received a surprising new scholarship offer from Albany State University in Georgia. The news shocked many because Albany State is not only a Division II school, but also an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities).

Whether the Golden Rams failed to do their homework or they felt the offer would fly under the radar, there was a not-insignificant amount of backlash.

The Rams and new head coach Quinn Gray, who took over just week, eventually rescinded the offer and apologized for sending it out in the first place.

Let me start with a humble apology. An apology for not honoring the tradition and history of ASU and for letting many of you down.

I didn’t uphold the Ramily standard that I know you expect. Please know that my decision to speak with a student that did not meet your expectations was unacceptable. I only wanted the best for our team, athletes, and institution when I invited the student to visit ASU. As I say to our players, “there is a consequence to every action.” The consequences of my actions brought pain to our University. I was trying to help a student get back in competition, and in my haste, I did not consider the impact the decision would have on all of you. Frankly, it wasn’t my place to use ASU as the platform for redemption in this case. I regret that I used flawed judgment. If given the opportunity, I will do better. – via HBCU GameDay

Stokes was not committed to ASU and there’s no indication that he would have done so. But just a week out from signing day he now has one fewer option.