Ryan Stokes joined the Hillsdale College football coaching staff in the summer of 2023, bringing significant experience and expertise to the receivers coach position while also adding to the Chargers' acumen in recruiting. 

In 2024, Stokes added special teams responsibilities to his purview, helping to produce a kickoff return unit that led all of NCAA DII in yards per return (32.04), with multiple kickoff return touchdowns on the year. He played an important role in a breakout season by sophomore Shea Ruddy, who earned All-American and G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors while ranking second in NCAA DII in kickoff return yards (732), fourth in kickoff return average (33.3) and third in all-purpose yards (1,779), and leading the G-MAC in all three categories. Stokes also was part of an offensive coaching staff at Hillsdale that produced a unit that led the G-MAC in total rushing yards, rushing yards per game, rushing touchdowns and time of possession on the way to a winning season.

A 2013 graduate of Grand Valley State University who was a two-year letter-winner at placekicker for the Lakers, Stokes has spent nearly a full decade since working his way up the coaching ranks and getting experience that he now brings to this new position at Hilllsdale. He comes to Hillsdale most recently from NCAA Division I Eastern Michigan University, where he spent the past year working as a Special Teams Quality Control Analyst and helping the Eagles to their first MAC West Championship since 1987, while working with a special teams unit that ranked as a top 25 unit in the nation at the DI level in 2022, as well as one of the top units in the MAC. 

Stokes started his coaching career after graduating from GVSU in 2013, spending three years in a variety of roles at NCAA DII Saint Joseph's College from 2014 through 2016. During his time in Rensselaer, Indiana, Stokes spent time as the Run Game Coordinator, Tight Ends Coach, Running Backs Coach and Specialists Coach and also served as the program's Recruiting Coordinator, Camp Coordinator and Social Media Director at different times during his tenure, helping SJC post impressive offensive numbers and coaching the program's all-time leading rusher, Braxton Shelton, during his tenure.

After three years at Saint Joseph, Stokes returned to his alma mater in 2017, spending a season as an offensive graduate assistant with the Lakers and helping GVSU field the best offense in the GLIAC during his time there. Stokes parlayed that graduate assistant position into a role as the Running Backs and Specialists Coach at another NCAA DII Midwestern power, Indianapolis, for the 2018 season, and then moved up the the NCAA DI FCS level at Indiana State, where he spent three seasons with the Sycamores, first as a graduate assistant working with the wide receivers, and then as the team's Special Teams Coordinator in 2020 and 2021. From there, Stokes moved on to EMU before heading to Hillsdale.

An experienced recruiter as well with ties all over the country, Stokes has been a huge asset for the Chargers on that front, helping Hillsdale modernize its approach to recruiting and bring in talented prospects from across the country in its last two classes.

Stokes has a Bachelor's of Science in Physical Education from Grand Valley State University, completed in 2013, and also received a Master's Degree in Physical Education-Coaching from Indiana State University in 2020 during his tenure there.  A native of Merrillville, Indiana, Stokes was the 2009 Athlete of the Year and a four-sport athlete at Merrillville High School, earning 11 varsity letters. He holds the Merrillville record for most field goals (48) and PATs (166) made in a career, as well as the record for consecutive PATs made (40) and is fifth in program history in points scored (246). Stokes was the 13th-ranked place kicker in the nation to ESPN before signing with Grand Valley State in the spring of 2009.