Kason Stokes excited to join the UCF Family
Seffner (Fla.) Armwood wide receiver Kason Stokes announced his commitment to UCF on Friday, becoming the Knights' fourth overall pledge in their 2024 class.
For Stokes, UCF has always been on his mind.
"My older brother (Kye Stokes, Class of 2022) is at Ohio State right now," Stokes said. "When he was in high school, his first offer came from UCF with their old coaching staff. I didn't know much about UCF at that time, but he got UCF and that always stuck in my head. I knew they had Gabe Davis go to the League a couple years ago, that's mostly what I knew."
Stokes' own recruitment began last summer with early offers from South Florida and Maryland. Following his junior year, more offers started flooding in. First UCF, then West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Liberty, Boston College, Rutgers and Ole Miss.
"I was on a field trip (in January) when I got the call from UCF with the offer," Stokes recalled. "I'm listening. And Coach (Grant) Heard is telling me all the right things. We want you. It sparked interest... I was just looking for a place to be developed and possibly go to the league. We started talking and created a relationship.
"I went up with my running backs coach in January and talked to the head man, Gus Malzahn. He was a great guy. We hit it off immediately. We had a great connection. He made it known I was a top priority. They were the school I talked to the most in my recruitment.
"I went up again last week. I watched a little bit of practice. After that, I told Coach Malzahn straight up, 'I want to come here and commit.' My mom was like, I should still evaluate all my options. After that, we went home and did the research. My mom was like, 'You're right, UCF is the best option. If you want to commit, you can.' I didn't waste any time."
So Stokes called back last Thursday night to let the coaches know of his plans.
"The first person I called was Coach Malzahn," Stokes said. "I told him, 'Hey coach, I have a whole bunch of offers on the table, but honestly none of them fit my needs and my priorities.' UCF is the only school that really checked all my boxes. I don't want to waste any time. I know where I want to go and this is the best fit for me. I said, 'Hey coach, I'm ready to become a Knight.
"He told me and said, 'I'm feeling great.' He was so happy. That made me feel even more wanted. He really made me feel I was a top priority. 'I'm so ecstatic.' He was real happy. He made it known I was a guy they really wanted to come there."
As a junior, Stokes caught 15 passes for 372 yards and six touchdowns. He also runs track.
"When I talked to Coach Heard, he told me how he saw me fitting into the offense," Stokes said. "They've changed their offense and they have a vertical deep threat kind of offense now. They're trying to get the ball deep down the field and they need a guy that can do that. Coach Heard likes tall, lengthy guys with speed. He said, 'I'm not going to promise you that you're going to to start or get on the field right away, but I can promise you the opportunity.' That's all I needed to hear. I want to go up there and compete."
Stokes said being a deep threat is what he's known for too.
"The main things with me are my speed and the deep ball," Stokes said. "I can take balls 40, 50, 60 yards down the field. I can make contested catches. Those are definitely my strengths."
Above all, the family aspect set UCF apart. He said his other top schools were Ole Miss, Rutgers and Maryland.
"One of the main things for me, picking a school, was the relationships," Stokes said. "I'm big on family. I don't want to be looked at like a number, but a person and then a player. Coach Malzahn made it clear he really cares about his players. There's some colleges out there that want to put you in the system and win games. That's ultimately what I'm coming here to do. But I'm more than just a number. That was one of the main things.
"Another thing about UCF is I have an older role model that goes there - Xavier Townsend. He's like an older brother to me. He said he's going to take me under his wing. I'll have somebody to look up to and follow his lead."
Stokes hopes to return to UCF as much as possible. An official visit in June is likely. He hopes to come back for games this fall, but his family will also be busy following his older brother who plays at Ohio State.
