Georgia Football: 5 players trending up after spring 2019
Eric Stokes isn’t your typical projected starter on one of the top defenses which recruits some of the most elite high school players out there. No, Stokes wasn’t quite as sought-after as some of his teammates as a three-star from Covington, Ga., but he wanted the chance to star for his home-state school.
The sophomore redshirted in 2017 and played in his first live action in 2018, recording 20 tackles and nine pass breakups. There were still plenty who doubted his abilities and he started proving them wrong, one-by-one, this spring.
Stokes felt like this was a big spring for him and he’s shown plenty of improvement because he’s a coachable kid, Kirby Smart told AJC.com.
"“He’s very conscientious to doing things the right way,” Smart said. “When you teach Stokes something, he listens and then he applies it. Which, when you combine that ability with talent, you’ve got a really good player.”"
Jake Fromm saw firsthand what an improving Stokes is capable of in the second play of the G-Day Game as he threw the ball into the waiting arms of the redshirt sophomore who returned it to the house and got the crowd on its feet.
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Stokes finished the day with four tackles and another pass breakup and he seems to be hungrier than most defenders returning.