07 - DL - Barry Stokes

[CattouseFan]

Treutlen County (Soperton, Ga.) High School defensive lineman Barry Stokes certainly has the size (6-foot-4, 288 pounds) and skill to attract a fair amount of attention from the division one ranks. Three schools have already tipped their hand and offered him football scholarships – Louisville, Oklahoma State, and Troy University.

"It's been going pretty good. I'm hearing from a couple of schools," he said.

Stokes briefly commented on what he feels his best attributes are as a player that might be what is starting to attract attention.

"Well, you know, high school is totally different from college but I have to work on my quickness and speed. I have to work on that but I'm pretty strong at getting off blocks and putting up a fight," he described.

With those three offers in hand, one gets the impression that Stokes is yearning to hear more from the in-state Bulldogs.

"Georgia is my favorite school," said Stokes. "You know I have to represent my home state. I'm hearing from them a little bit. I've gotten a couple of letters and I'm going to a camp there on July 7 and 8. I'm also set to go to a Clemson camp on June 16."

So to what degree are the Bulldogs his early favorite?

"If (Georgia) offered, I have to be honest, I would probably commit. That is where my heart is. But hey, it's just like any other place in that they lose a lot of recruits because they don't offer that much real quickly. So if can't go to Georgia I'll just have to make it somewhere else because you can't depend on one school. I'll just have to see which school is going to help me major in communications," he said.

Keeping that in mind, the Cowboys are certainly going to put up a fight and are planning on bringing Stokes in for an official visit once that time of year rolls around.

"Oklahoma State is supposed to me flying me out there in December or January sometime. I talked to Coach Fedora and he said they'll bring me in there for an official visit then," he said.

In the end, outside of the Bulldogs, Stokes does have five other schools that are currently at or near the top of his list of schools in which he is interested.

"Yes, I would say Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Florida, Oklahoma State, and Central Florida. I would actually say Troy is really recruiting me the hardest," he noted.

On a final note, Stokes mentioned that he is not planning on making a decision until after his senior year of football is over.

[littlebittyschool]

This guy sounds like a real stud! At least we're trying to get him!

[CattouseFan]

Earlier this spring Soperton, Ga. - Treutlen County defensive lineman Barry Stokes picked up offers from Oklahoma State and Louisville. Since that time Troy has offered, and Stokes said Thursday Clemson still appears to be close to offering.

"I got to Clemson last Thursday, really Friday morning around 1am, me and my coach. We got up the next morning pretty early and I worked out," Stokes told Tigerillustrated.com Thursday. "I had a little injury in the weight room a few weeks ago, so I wasn't able to go full speed, but I did a lot of one-on-one drills, skill-type drills, and I managed okay."

Stokes' Clemson recruiter is defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, but the Soperton product spent most of his time at camp with Clemson defensive line coach Chris Rumph.

"Me and coach Koenning talked a little. He gave me some advice when I was in one-on-ones," Stokes said. "Me and coach Rumph got along great. He's cool. He gave me certain things that helped me get off blocks. I got a few tips on how to get around things."

Stokes said he had hoped to walk away with a Clemson offer, and though that did not happen, he is still optimistic he could receive one in the future.

"I've got a lot of time left. I've got several schools looking into me right now," he said. "I'm going to be patient and let things play out. I've got camps and official visits to take."

Stokes heads to Georgia for camp on July 7th, and he's already talking with Oklahoma State about a January official visit.

As for his updated list of favorites, he cites Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Tennessee, Florida and Oklahoma State as the frontrunners.

Georgia "I just like Georgia. I like their coaches. I like the football environment up there, the surroundings, everything. Georgia has a great tradition in football. Who wouldn't want to go to UGA?"

Georgia Tech "Georgia Tech is in a good location, too. It's an in-state school. Georgia Tech is big on academics. I hear about that side of things a lot."

Clemson "I like Clemson's staff. They work with you and they're real down to earth. They give it to you straight. They don't beat around the bush. When I was there, they didn't tell me they were going to offer. They didn't make a promise, and I respected that."

Tennessee "Tennessee has great tradition, and they have one of the top defenses in the country every year."

Florida "Florida is known for their offense but they have a great defense, too. If I don't go to Georgia or Clemson, I would look harder at a school like Florida. I like that location, and it's still in the SEC."

Oklahoma State "I've talked to a couple of their coaches. They're pretty cool. They told me they have a big need for defensive tackles. They told me they are offering a big opportunity, because I could have a chance to play there as a true freshman. Oklahoma State has a real young staff, too, so they are going to be around for a while."

Stokes said Troy has been recruiting him the hardest to date.

"I've got to give Troy some love, too," he said. "They have recruited me very hard from the get-go. I get a lot of mail from Troy everyday. I could play as a true freshman if I went there."