A former Florida quarterback recruit who had his scholarship pulled when a video of him using the N-word surfaced on social media said Tuesday he’s received another scholarship offer.
Marcus Stokes tweeted he received an offer from Albany State University – a public historically black university (HBCU) in Albany, Georgia.
“Blessed to receiver (sic) my first HBCU offer to play at Albany State University!” Stokes tweeted.
The Albany State Golden Rams play in Division II. The team was 7-3 overall and 5-2 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The program finished in third place in the conference behind undefeated Benedict and Fort Valley State.
According to 247 Sports, Stokes is also set to visit West Florida later in the week.
A pair of down markers on the sidelines of the Pac-12 game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Arizona State University Sun Devils on Sept. 30, 2017, in Palo Alto, California.
(David Madison/Getty Images)
Stokes played quarterback for Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and received offers from Florida, Penn State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern and Georgia State, among other schools, according to 24/7 Sports. Stokes was a four-star recruit and among the top 50 players in the state.
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The video surfaced in November and showed Stokes saying “Welcome back” followed by the N-word. Stokes revealed in a statement posted to social media that the Gators decided to pull their offer.
“I was in my car listening to rap music, rapping along to the words and posted a video of it on social media,” he wrote. “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.
A Florida Gators helmet sits on the sideline at Kyle Field on Nov. 5, 2022, in College Station, Texas.
(Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I fully accept the consequences for my actions, and I respect the University of Florida’s decision to withdraw my scholarship offer to play football. My intention was never to hurt anybody and I recognize that even when going along with a song, my words still carry a lot of weight. I will strive to be better and to become the best version of myself on and off the field.
“I know that learning from my mistakes is a first important step.”
Stokes had flipped his commitment from Penn State to Florida in July, according to The St. Augustine Record. He had 14 touchdowns and 1,867 passing yards in his senior season after appearing on schools’ radars following his junior season when he had 28 touchdowns and 2,672 passing yards.
