According to On3's Pete Nakos, Marcus Stokes is set to start for Memphis tonight against UNLV. Stokes spent the offseason in a quarterback battle with South Carolina transfer Air Noland, but it appears Stokes won the the battle and will lead the team against the Rebels.
Stokes was a four-star recruit out of Nease High School in Ponte Verda Beach, Florida. He originally committed to Penn State but flipped his commitment four months later to Florida. During the fall of 2022, a video went viral of Stokes using a racial slur while rapping along to a song. Florida and multiple other Power Four programs rescinded their offers, and Stokes signed with Division II West Florida.
Stokes served a redshirt during his true freshman season, but he made eight starts as a redshirt freshman, becoming the starter by the end of the year. In 2024, he threw for 1,540 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He was the full-time starter last season, and he took a massive jump in production. Stokes threw for 3,297 yards, 30 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and helped lead the Argonauts to a 10-2 record.
He also ran for 367 yards and 10 touchdowns on 82 carries.
He was named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year, first team All-Conference, D2CCA Super Region 2 Offensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is the D2 equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.
Stokes entered the transfer portal after spending three seasons at West Florida, and he was one of the first players to visit Memphis after the transfer portal opened. He committed to the program shortly after.
Stokes' dual-threat ability should pair nicely with offensive coordinator Kevin Decker. Last season at Old Dominion, Decker's quarterback Colton Joseph threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns and added 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
Decker will put Stokes in situations where he'll be able to use his arm and his legs to keep defenses guessing, and it sounds like Stokes is excited to play in this system.
"It's a different offense than I've been in in the past, and it's a choice game," Stokes said earlier in fall camp.
He explained that the offensive system focuses on reading defenses and anticipating what his playmakers and the opposing team's secondary will do on any given play.
Stokes earns the starting job over Noland, who spent time at Ohio State and South Carolina before signing with Memphis. Both quarterbacks talked about the battle during fall camp, and Stokes said that both have been supporting each other throughout camp.
"I feel like that's the only way we're both going to be successful," Stokes said. "Whether he's out there or I'm out there, we've got to be able to support each other's success."
Memphis begins the season tonight against UNLV.
