Florida football: Biggest regrets from the 2023 recruiting cycle
By Will Thomas
Florida football: Cutting ties with Marcus Stokes
We all know what happened with Marcus Stokes and the reasoning behind Florida taking away his offer and cutting him from the class. And I don’t want anybody reading this to think that I think what he did was ok.
But we need to take a step back. He was a kid filming a video with a song he liked, and he made a mistake. He never should have hit send on it.
And from the clip, it’s clear he meant no malicious intent.
But, all of that is pointless now as Stokes has committed elsewhere. After all that happened with Jaden Rashada, however, the Gators sure could use a QB in the 2023 class.
Losing Rashada and cutting Stokes left the Gators with no quarterback signed in the 2024 cycle. This isn’t the end of the world as Graham Mertz is coming in from Wisconsin, but signing a freshman was vital to the depth of the QB room.
If Mertz goes down, Jack Miller is next in line. And not a lot of Gator fans liked what they saw from him in the bowl game against Oregon State.
Having a young guy in the QB room in case of an emergency is important, and he would be a good option for next year before DJ Lagway is ready. But now, the Gators have a lot riding on Mertz and his health.