Before he ever played a down for Georgia football, Nick Chubb was already a viral sensation of sorts.

While competing at a high school track meet, Chubb, then a 5-star running back signee, showed off some of his absurd athletic ability in what is now an iconic picture.

And it turns out another Georgia football player who would wear No. 27 was also in the picture with Chubb. That would be now redshirt sophomore Eric Stokes. At the time, Stokes was just a freshman at Eastside High School in Covington, Ga.

Chubb ended up beating Stokes by .02 in the race. And per Stokes, there was a little gamesmanship from Chubb in the final result.

Chubb went on to become a legend at Georgia, as he finished his career as UGA’s second all-time leading rusher. He went on to become a second round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft.

After redshirting as a freshman, Stokes made his way into the starting lineup at the end of the 2018 season for the Bulldogs at cornerback. Stokes was a 3-star prospect in the 2017 class, but he took over for Tyson Campbell at cornerback during the Auburn game. Stokes had a strong finish to the 2018 season, and figures to play a key role in replacing departing cornerback Deandre Baker.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart praised Stokes in his press conference on Tuesday along with the rest of Georgia’s young cornerbacks.

“What’s good about the corner position is we’ve got some guys coming along,” Smart said. “D.J. Daniel, which we knew in bowl practice that he was going to be a good player because he was covering the likes of the ones who were at the combine. So we knew we had a pretty good player with D.J.  Tyson has improved, he understands the defense better. He’s bright. He’s doing some good things out there. Stokes is doing some good things.”

Related: Under-the-radar Georgia football early enrollee making real impression on Kirby Smart

Stokes finished 2018 with 20 tackles and 9 pass breakups. He also blocked a punt in the Missouri game and returned it for a touchdown.

Georgia has completed five of its 15 spring practices this spring and returns to the field on Saturday. Georgia’s G-Day game is set for April 20.

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