Marcus Stokes (American football)

Marcus Stokes is an American football quarterback for the Memphis Tigers. He previously played for the West Florida Argonauts.

Marcus Stokes was born in Fairfax, Virginia.^[1] He grew up playing basketball and football, recording a 4.82-second 40-yard dash and 30.5-inch vertical jump.^[1] Stokes attended Nease High School, the alma mater of Tim Tebow and played as a dual-threat quarterback.^[1]

At Nease High School, under Head Coach and Charleston Southern University HOF QB Collin Drafts, Stokes emerged as a top quarterback prospect. In his junior year (2021), he threw for 2,672 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions, while rushing for 496 yards and six touchdowns, leading Nease to a 9-4 record and the regional finals in Florida's second-highest classification.^[2][1] In his senior year (2022), he completed 136 of 248 passes (54.8%) for 1,867 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, and rushed for 582 yards and 13 touchdowns, though Nease finished 2-8.^[3][2] Over two seasons, Stokes amassed 4,498 yards and 58 total touchdowns.^[2]

Rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports and the No. 11 quarterback by ESPN, Stokes was an Elite 11 finalist.^[3][4] He initially committed to Penn State in April 2022, flipped to Florida in July, but had his scholarship withdrawn in November 2022.^[5][6][7]

Stokes signed with the University of West Florida Argonauts, a Division II program, on February 1, 2023.^[8][9] In his redshirt freshman season (2024), he started eight games, completing 112 of 209 passes for 1,540 yards and 14 touchdowns.^[10] His performance in a Gulf South Conference game against Delta State earned him GSC Offensive Player of the Week honors in October 2024.^[11][12]

Following a 2025 season at West Florida featuring 3,297 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, he complemented by 367 yards and 10 scores on the ground.^[13] Stokes earned Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, Stokes entered the NCAA transfer portal on December 2, 2025.^[13]

On January 7, 2026, Stokes announced his commitment to the Memphis Tigers, an NCAA Division I FBS program in the American Athletic Conference, under head coach Charles Huff.^[14][15] Stokes has two years of eligibility remaining.

In November 2022, the University of Florida withdrew Stokes's scholarship offer after a video surfaced on social media showing him using a racial slur while singing a rap song.^[5][16] Stokes issued a public apology, stating, "I deeply apologize for the words in the song that I chose to say. It was hurtful and offensive to many people, and I regret that."^[5][17] After the incident, Stokes received offers from Albany State University and the University of West Florida, with Albany State later rescinding its offer due to community backlash.^[18][17] West Florida's coaching staff reviewed the incident before signing him.^[8][19]

• University of West Florida Argonauts bio