The defensive dominance on the USF Bulls' 2021 commitment list has continued when Auburndale (Fla.) cornerback Jaelen Stokes announced his commitment to USF on Friday afternoon. He becomes the fourth commitment for Jeff Scott and the Bulls in his first full recruiting class as head coach.

USF verbally offered Stokes in March when he took an unofficial visit to Tampa along with teammates Aubrey Burks, Malichi Lowery and Elijah Davis. The quartet is one of the most highly regarded defensive back units in the state - all four have Division I offers. That visit was the only one that Stokes took to USF before the coronavirus pandemic forced an NCAA-imposed dead period until the end of May.

A long 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback, Stokes collected 34 tackles in 11 games in the 2019 season, 28 of them solos. He had two interceptions and three pass breakups along with a trio of fumble recoveries. One pick came against Haines City (Fla.), while the other came in a critical district game against Lake Gibson (Lakeland, Fla.) in September.

Stokes has been a part of one rebuild before, helping Auburndale go from 3-7 to 8-3 in the first year of Kyle Sasser's tenure. He's been a part of a culture change and knows what that looks like, so he can bring maturity in that regard to USF.

He chose the Bulls over 23 other verbal offers, including Power Five programs in Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Purdue. Stokes also had verbal offers from American Athletic Conference foes Temple and Tulane.

RELATED: The rise of the Auburndale defensive backs

What is USF getting in Stokes besides a long cornerback that can make plays on the football?

Well, the Bulls are getting a good student - he has a 3.7 unweighted GPA and is a player that has a good feel for the game and how it's played. Stokes has a good football IQ when he makes plays. His interception against Lake Gibson came in zone coverage where he read the quarterback's eyes well enough and caught a ball thrown right to him, staying patient while doing so. His athleticism is eye-catching.

At USF, he'll join a defensive back unit that was 15th in the country against the pass in 2019, finishing with 189.5 yards allowed per game. After both K.J. Sails and Mike Hampton graduate in 2020, there will be a chance for Stokes to step up and play right out of the gate.

Stokes becomes the fourth commit of the 2021 class, joining three other defensive prospects on USF's commitment sheet.

Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.) OLB CJ Ross was the first to commit to USF after the first Junior Day of the spring on Feb. 1, while Vero Beach (Fla.) ILB Davon Hicks joined him soon after, committing on Feb. 16. Fort Myers (Fla.) SDE Keeon Terrell was the last one to commit to the Bulls, nearly a month ago on Mar. 6. Through the early part of the recruiting cycle, all four of USF's commits are on the defensive side of the ball.

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