Florida football pulls scholarship from 4-star commit after racial slur

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB/Gray News) - The Florida Gators top-10 recruiting class for 2023 is one prospect lighter after the team withdrew its offer for committed quarterback Marcus Stokes, in light of him using a racial slur in a video posted to social media Friday.

Stokes is a 4-star prospect from Nease High School, the same school legendary Gator Tim Tebow came from. He committed to play for Florida on July 7 after flipping his commitment from Penn State.

He was the only quarterback to commit to Florida before Jaden Rashada switched his commitment from Miami to Florida earlier in November.

In response to Florida withdrawing their offer, Stokes wrote on Twitter: “I was in my car listening to rap music, rapping along to the words and posted a video of it on social media. 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.”

Stokes added that he fully accepted the consequences for his actions and that he respected the decision to withdraw his scholarship.

“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,” Stokes wrote. “I will strive to be better and to become the best version of myself both on and off the field. I know that learning from my mistakes is a first important step.”