Nease quarterback Marcus Stokes signs with West Florida

The most intriguing question on signing day was where and if Nease quarterback Marcus Stokes would sign.

The former Florida commit did sign. We learned about the decision when the University of West Florida put out this video on its social media channels.

Stokes was a verbal commitment to the Gators but had his scholarship offer rescinded after he posted a video on social media showing him using racial epithets.

Stokes, who helped lead his team to a 9-4 record, including two wins in the playoffs as a junior, saw the Panthers struggle to a 2-8 record in his junior year.

Stokes had offers from HBCU schools Albany State and Alabama A&M, although the offer from Albany State was rescinded after head coach Quinn Gray, a former Jaguars quarterback, received backlash from the university community.

As a senior, Stokes completed 54% of his passes for 1,824 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The season prior, Stokes completed 59% of his passes for 2,672 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He won’t be the first local quarterback to suit up at West Florida. Former St. Augustine quarterback Austin Reed played three seasons in the course of two years for the Argonauts, leading the team to the Division II national championship.