Georgia's Eastside High School retires the jersey of alum Eric Stokes, now playing for NFL's Green Bay Packers 

It's commonplace for high schools to retire the jerseys of star athletes, especially those who went on to play or coach professional sports. A few players have had their jerseys retired at their high schools this season. Some are still playing professionally. A former Georgia defensive back had his jersey retired on Feb. 4.

Green Bay Packers defensive back Eric Stokes had his jersey retired at Eastside High School in Covington, Georgia, during a basketball game. Many friends, former teammates and family were in attendance.

He commemorated the jersey retirement on Instagram, captioning a post:

"A kid from the projects to havin his jersey number retired, forever blessed with dis life man #5."

Eric Stokes is one of many football players from the state of Georgia to play in the NFL. He was selected in the first round, at 29th, by the Green Bay Packers in the 2021 draft. In four years with the team, Stokes accumulated 128 tackles, one interception and 14 pass deflections in 45 games. He will be on the market as a free agent in 2025 due to the decline of his fifth-year option.

Eric Stokes breakdown

Eric Stokes played running back and defensive back at Eastside High School from 2013-2017. He totaled 21 tackles (one for loss), two interceptions and six pass deflections on defense, while having 124 carries for 941 yards and nine touchdowns on offense. He also had 37 receptions for 488 yards and five TDs, all in 18 games. In his tenure, Eastside went 29-14-1.

Stokes also competed in track and field, winning the 2016 Georgia Class 4A state championship in the 100-meter dash, running a 10.48.

Eric Stokes was rated as a three-star prospect, the 42nd-best player in Georgia, and the 39th cornerback in the class of 2017, according to 247Sports.

Stokes held 19 offers from schools like Florida and Ole Miss but ultimately decided to stay home and play for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2017-2020. In his college football career, he totaled 78 tackles (two for loss), four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), two punt return touchdowns and a forced fumble in 36 games. He earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2019 and first-team All-SEC in 2020.