Northeast's Stokes chooses Michigan
Je'Ron Stokes arrived at the Comcast SportsNet studio in South Philadelphia yesterday afternoon - National Letter of Intent Day - wearing a black pinstriped suit, a flashy red tie, and matching wing-tip dress shoes.
Je'Ron Stokes arrived at the Comcast SportsNet studio in South Philadelphia yesterday afternoon - National Letter of Intent Day - wearing a black pinstriped suit, a flashy red tie, and matching wing-tip dress shoes.
Stokes, a star wide receiver for Northeast High, was styling in a big way for the televised announcement of where he would continue his football career. Surrounding the 18-year-old, who was sporting dreadlocks and a wide smile, were about 30 family members and friends.
Soon after, ending weeks of suspense that started when Stokes backed out of his commitment to Tennessee following the firing of head coach Phil Fulmer, he sat at a studio table and sorted between baseball caps representing Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois and Georgia.
Then, with his father and mother seated to his left, Stokes grabbed the blue cap with the gold M emblazoned on the front and tugged it over his head. Yes, the Michigan Wolverines had won the Je'Ron Stokes sweepstakes.
"It's a win-win situation for me - football at the biggest stage, and the opportunity to get a great education," Stokes said. "I couldn't pass it up."
Before the announcement, Stokes faxed a binding letter of intent to Michigan's athletic department. That way, per NCAA rules, head coach Rich Rodriguez could officially lay claim to one of the 22 players who signed letters of intent for Michigan yesterday.
Last month, Stokes, who had orally committed to Tennessee in April, took official visits to Michigan and Illinois but not Georgia.
"You have to be with the people that are going to help you go where you want to go in life," Stokes said. "That's what I found with Michigan."
The dynamic playmaker, an Inquirer first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection last season while helping the Vikings reach the Public League championship game, said the 3-9 mark the Wolverines posted in Rodriguez's first season did not influence his choice.
"Last year's record doesn't indicate what they can offer," Stokes said. "It was a transition year for [Rodriguez] and the program."
After being named as Fulmer's replacement in November, Lane Kiffin, the 33-year-old former boss of the Oakland Raiders, visited Stokes at the family's Mayfair home.
"He told me how much Tennessee wanted me," Stokes said. "He stressed that to me. But, honestly, I knew in my heart that Tennessee wasn't going to be the same."
Rodriguez, with wide-receivers coach Tony Dews and associate head coach and offensive coordinator Calvin Magee, visited Stokes on Jan. 27. Two days later, Tennessee offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and wide-receivers coach Frank Wilson made a final pitch for the Volunteers.
"It was a comfortable feeling with [Rodriguez]," Je'Ron's father, Ronald, said. "He was playing with my little niece, just conversing about things. We didn't even talk much about football. It was a good family feel."
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Stokes, clocked at 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash, could see playing time as a true freshman.
"They never promised him that he would start or anything," Ronald Stokes said. "But they said that if he came in and did the things that he's capable of doing, there would be a good shot that he would not be redshirted the first year."
One of the teary-eyed spectators was the player's grandmother, Brenda Stokes-Mitchell.
"I'm extremely proud," she said. "Back when Je'Ron was playing peewee football, my request was for him to reach the Division I level in football so that I would be able to watch him on TV. Now, that's going to happen."
Stokes-Mitchell, 59, said she did not know of her grandson's decision before yesterday's announcement. "I didn't ask him," she said. "I didn't want to influence him in any way. I wanted it to be his decision."
The normally calm and collected Je'Ron Stokes, who played at Penn Charter before transferring to Northeast, was also swept up in emotion.
"I shed a tear or two," he said. "They were tears of joy. I've been through a lot. To be in this position, I'm living my dream. I couldn't ask for anything better."
