ABOUT COACH STOKES

Football is in my DNA. From playing, to coaching and directing player camps for more than 25+ years, I've been involved with football my entire life. I’ve coached at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and spent a few years at the collegiate level as well — one season at George Mason University volunteering with the offensive line coaching staff and two years as a student assistant offensive line coach at Towson University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I also served as an educator for 10 years in the Maryland public school system.

When I was young, I lived for football. When I played, I emptied the tank, gave every ounce of energy I had. I never wanted to come off the field, and I played wherever coach needed me to play to make the biggest impact. I played in nearly every position on the team, and in high school I played center and nose guard. I loved football. It was the only reason I stayed out of trouble and maintained a decent GPA in school. Nothing else motivated me quite like playing the game. 

At 16 years old I started coaching. There truly is no better feeling than guiding kids to be smarter, stronger, faster and seeing them develop and progress. Without the right support, kids can get overlooked, player improvement can stagnate, and their love for the game can start to dwindle. As a coach, I've seen this happen too many times. This is why I founded Opportunity Knoxx - to connect athletes with the right opportunities to develop, prepare for the next level, and get seen by the right people. 

I live in Florida with my wife and two boys, the oldest who loves football and is committed to a division 1 college and the youngest who loves baseball and plays competitively. I spend my days helping athletes work toward their dreams of playing college football.