Dagsboro (De.) Indian River 2026 athlete Darnell Stokes had been communicating with the West Virginia coaching staff quite a bit so and decided to make a trip to campus.
That decision paid off with a scholarship offer from the Mountaineers.
Stokes, 6-foot-2, 175-pounds, had been in contact with wide receivers coach Bilal Marshall and it shouldn’t come as any surprise that he was the one that pulled the trigger on the offer.
“He came over to talk to my family while we were eating and said he’s offering me,” he said. “I appreciate him a lot. It was a great visit, and they have awesome fans.”
West Virginia is targeting Stokes as an athlete who could play on either side of the ball and the coaching staff has been building a connection with him over the past several months.
“They told me I’m a good player and that they are going to be recruiting me heavy,” he said.
True to their word, the Mountaineers have been involved with Stokes since that point and are impressed with his overall versatility as well as his speed and ability to move at his size.
The plan is for him to make it back to West Virginia to get another look after his experience for the Baylor game, but he has yet to establish when that trip will occur. Still, the Mountaineers certainly put their best foot forward when it comes to showcasing what the program has to offer.
“I will definitely be back to West Virginia. Good atmosphere and people and love the coaching staff,” he said.
Stokes isn’t looking to jump into his recruitment headfirst at this stage; instead, he is letting the process develop with all of the programs involved. He also has leaned hard on his family to help him navigate it.
“I just want to keep building relationships with coaches and whoever makes me feel at home I’ll commit,” he said.
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