QB Stokes picks up first offer

Philadelphia (Pa.) Northeast quarterback Malik Stokes has patiently endured a recruiting process that had not gone as he had planned, at least until recently.

Stokes attributes much of the reluctance of schools to extend offers to a couple of factors, including a knee injury and the fact that he ran a Wing-T offense for much of his high school career thus far.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound dual-threat and brother of Michigan wide receiver Je'Ron Stokes recently picked up his first offer of the process, however, and that could be just what it takes to get things moving.

"We're actually on a little tour of Michigan schools right now," Stokes relayed in an interview on Monday evening. "I went to Central Michigan's camp today and coach (Butch) Jones told me he's gonna offer me the day after I did the camp.

"We went up there this morning and I worked out. They put me through a lot of drills and quarterback stuff. There was footwork stuff, I ran my 40 and did my shuttle.

"From there, after it was over they took me on a tour and I sat down to talk to coach Jones. He told me he would offer. He said he couldn't offer while I was on campus, but said it would be in the mail."

Is CMU a school that Stokes is interested in?

"Definitely," he said emphatically. "Right now I haven't really pinpointed what type of school I want to be at, so I'm open to any school that wants me for me. I really love the campus. It's a beautiful campus. I didn't really expect that going up there.

"The coaches are great, and great people. You can tell they care about their players. It's a family environment and I liked that they train good QBs. They've got Dan LeFevour there now, and he's pretty good. He has a chance to be a draft pick in the NFL if he has a good season, so their QB coach knows what he's doing.

"I don't think it's about going to a big-name school. It's about going wherever the opportunity is. I appreciate and like the opportunity they're providing me, so I'm definitely going to keep them on my radar."

On Saturday the younger Stokes attended a camp hosted by the Wolverines.

"I did really well there," he recalled. "They liked me, too. They're just in a situation where they already have two QB's in our class. If something happens then they might want to offer me.

"Other than that I went to Central Michigan today and then I'm going to Michigan State on Wednesday for a one-day camp there. I'm just looking to step on all the campuses and show off and hopefully come out with offers."

As time has gone on Stokes has placed less of a priority on making an early decision, and more of a priority on making the right one.

"Originally I wanted to try to get it over with before the summer. The process went a little slower because of stuff, but it's good now. I'm definitely gonna wait for schools to come in, but I want to have it narrowed by the time the season starts."