Eric Stokes Excited to Join the Bulldogs

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Eric Stokes Excited to Join the Bulldogs

Eric Stokes
Eric Stokes
Photo: Greg Poole/Bulldawg Illustrated

 
 
Eric Stokes is one of the fastest players in the state of Georgia and the Bulldogs pulled off an upset landing him over the Gators and the Rebels.
 
 

Cornerback Eric Stokes was a surprise commitment for Bulldog nation, as many were under the impression that he was most likely headed to Ole Miss or Florida. However, when asked as to why the Bulldogs ended up being his choice Stokes said that “Georgia just had that brotherhood that I couldn’t pass up.” This is not surprising as it has been well-known that this class is a very close class and they have even been tight with other recruits, who had not yet committed to the Bulldogs.
 
 
Stokes was one of those recruits that the already-committed Bulldogs stayed close to and helped eventually commit to Georgia. When I asked Stokes, who played a role in helping the Bulldogs land him, it was not surprising that he listed Jeremiah Holloman. Holloman went one-on-one against Stokes as they were both from the city of Covington playing at rival high schools. Holloman has helped the Bulldogs land plenty of people and it is not surprising that he made one of the fastest players in the state of Georgia, who is from the same city, commit to Georgia.
 
 
Since Stokes is a native of Georgia, that also played a role in his decision for the Bulldogs. He mentioned that being close to home definitely had an impact because he wanted to be close to his family. Stokes definitely seems to place an importance on family as he mentioned the Bulldogs’ brotherhood and the ability to playing close to family as two main reasons for committing to Georgia. This is what Stokes had to say on what has him most excited to get to Athens:
 
 

Just getting around the team to be honest! They are a great group of guys and I love it!

 
 
So you might ask what does Stokes bring to the table for the Bulldogs? Well, I see him as a cornerback, who has an outstanding blend of elite speed and good size at 6 feet tall and 170 lbs. The Bulldogs will most likely put him on a weight training program, as they do with most recruits, to help add some muscle to his frame. However, with that being said, Stokes has a very high upside because of his speed and once he receives coaching from defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, he could be much better than his three-star ranking shows.
 
 
I believe Stokes is a sneaky steal for this 2017 class and the Bulldogs could not only use him at cornerback but may also give him a look at kick or punt returner. Stokes will most likely join the team as its fastest player and such speed could be killer in the return game against the Bulldogs’ opponents.
 
 
Stokes is going to be a fun player to watch over his next four years as a Bulldog and if they utilize his speed properly, he could be an elite player.
 
 
 
 

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Author /

Michael Pope is a Journalism student in the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, with an emphasis in sports. He enjoys covering all sports, especially basketball, football, and baseball.