Marcus Turner

**Marcus Turner** is a main character character in "All American: Homecoming". He is portrayed by Cory Hadrict.

Marcus played baseball at Bringston University and was drafted into pro ball, only to have an injury sideline his career. Now assistant head baseball coach at Bringston, he is tough, blunt, and committed to raising honorable young men and championship athletes second. In order to rebuild the team before their funding runs out at the end of the semester, he’ll have to form an unlikely alliance with Damon Sims and battle the inner demons that led him to leaving the pros and the love of his life behind.

## Throughout All American: Homecoming

The first day of baseball practice for the new semester begins with Coach Turner giving s a speech to the team. They tease him for the long monologue. The team practices on the field. Damon continues to strike out the batters. Turner tells Damon to pull it back. When he doesn’t listen, Damon is pulled from the game. Damon tries to protest, but Turner tells him to shut up so he can run practice and find their weaknesses. Damon knows they’re all weak as the starters were suspended, and Santiago is too emotional. His speech is overheard by the team. Turner tells him to get off the field and into the dugout. Damon refuses as he didn’t give up the pros to sit in anyone’s dugout. He walks off the field despite Turner’s protests.

Marcus coaches the team when the University president Zeke Allen comes to visit, wondering where Damon is. Zeke disagrees with Damon's benching, even though Damon is problematic. Zeke can’t wait for Damon to get his act together, especially with the budget cuts. Marcus realizes that the baseball program is first on the list to get axed. He has until the end of the semester to get the team back on track.

When practice is over, Amara visits Marcus in his office to apologize for exposing Coach Shaw’s cheating. Amara didn’t expect so many of her people to turn on her, and realizes now that her future isn’t the only one affected. Marcus's dream job is overshadowed by the scandal that Amara outed. He tells her not to apologize. Their meeting is interrupted by Damon. Marcus wants him to preface it with an apology. Damon asks if Amara knows that Marcus was the anonymous source of the scandal, but Marcus changes the subject. He’s worried about the program being cut and learns that it’s true. He panics, but Turner tells him to be patient as their first scrimmage tomorrow will prove the foundation is there. If Damon walks out again, he’s off of the team.

At the scrimmage, Leonard Shaw arrives and upsets the Lions. Marcus wonders if Hawkins knows the reason Shaw was fired - that he was behind the fake classes for his players. Shaw chuckles that he resigned and since there was no NCAA violation, Hawkins didn’t have a problem with how he runs his program or raises champions. He adds that Bringston baseball is nothing without him. He built the program and promises no one will forget that. He tells him to buckle up. With that, commences a not-so-friendly scrimmage game. Damon strikes out a Hawkins batter, but one player hits and gets to first base. Hawkins pitches and Bringston hits the ball, with their batter sliding into the first base a second too late. The second batter barely misses.

JR is up at the bat and misses his first throw. Shaw laughs that JR doesn’t want that smoke, and JR misses the second swing as Shaw continues to chastise him from across the field. Marcus cheers JR on. He hits the third swing but the catcher catches the ball and he’s out. Shaw tells Damon that if he decides to play with a program worth his time, to give him a call.

Damon sits in the locker room deep in thought. Marcus joins him as it’s been a while since Damon’s lost like that. He doesn’t want a motivational speech and Marcus isn't giving one. Losing sucks and he knows why they were beaten out there - they weren’t better players, but they beat them mentally. Coach Shaw psyched them out and now they have to pick up the team with fundamentals and patience. The game showed him that pushing them past the limitations includes using Damon’s drive to win. He thinks that they can get there together, but the team has to respect and trust Damon first. They shake hands as Damon admits he’s ready.

In the coming days, Damon practices his pitches again but gets frustrated with his lack of speed. Marcus urges him to focus on bonding with the team instead. Damon needs to fix his arm but Marcus tells him the answer isn’t on the mound. That afternoon, Marcus talks to Amara to check on her, but she's fine. It takes more than that to faze her. Written on her class door is the word “Traitor” in black spray paint. She stops Marcus from calling campus security as she can handle this. Words don’t faze her. She goes into class and Marcus angrily walks off.

Two nights later, Amara meets with Marcus in his office. He admits he was the anonymous source that helped break the scandal. He knew she would do the right thing and should have told her sooner. It’s unfair that she suffers alone and wants to go public with his support. She refuses to let it happen as she can’t destroy what he’s building. He has the beginnings of something, and his team would lose their trust in him if they ever found out. She won’t let him torpedo himself or the team's lives. She doesn’t regret what she did and will give a fight if needed. She has herself handled. The team plays video games in locker room when Marcus emerges. They quickly cover up the controllers. JR and Damon take responsibility for the antics. Marcus decided to play next. Damon tells Marcus he was right about being in his own head. Marcus knew he had to figure it out on his own, and he did. The team collectively plays video games.

The baseball team loses another game by a run. Damon thinks it’s progress - they didn’t lose by a lot. Marcus tells them to keep their heads up as he’s proud of them for their hard work. JR tells Marcus they need to do something about the morale, and Marcus knows it will hurt a lot until they can do that. Damon and JR propose new equipment but the money isn’t there. Damon asks if individual sponsorships are available, but Marcus doesn’t want the boys to compete with one another. JR knows Damon is going to make some calls anyway. He’s just going to see if anyone is interested and will worry about Marcus later.

Damon and JR try to earn money a different way when they notice a sponsor in the stands, courtesy of Damon’s mother, Keena, who just arrived. She points out that Damon could have asked her for help, but he didn’t think she would help. He doesn’t want her to steamroll as there are protocols as Marcus wouldn’t be cool about it. Marcus is upset, and she intervenes to say Damon didn’t call her. President Allen already approved her offering her services and suggests he take his issues up with Allen.

Marcus tells Amara about the sponsorships and his worries. She thinks it’s an opportunity for the athletes to be compensated for their work. He worries about what will happen when some players get endorsements and others don’t. She tells him to keep an open mind. She tells him about her journalist position offer at the Atlanta Daily News. She would give up Bringston and considering everything, she’s thinking of leaving. They postponed her tenure hearing and they both know it’s more fallout for her being a whistleblower. She won’t’ stay if they mess with her tenure. He wants her to stay. They are interrupted by Simone, so Marcus leaves. Simone asks if they used to date as they had vibes, but Amara tells her to stay out of folks’ business. After bugging her more, Amara admits she and Marcus used to date but they had deep personal differences that couldn’t be put aside.

The team readies for the sponsorships. Damon talks to Marcus in his office about the presentation, as it isn’t for the whole team. He admits that Allen confirmed it earlier. Marcus wishes he had listened as this will shatter team morale. Damon didn’t mean for this to happen as his mom lied to him. He doesn’t want the guys to be blindsided but can’t bring himself to do it. Marcus tells him to be honest and talk to his team.

Damon takes the stage in front of everyone. He invites the team up on the stage with him as he gives a speech about why he chose Bringston, its legacy, and the baseball team. Tonight isn’t about him but also his teammates. One by one, the teammates give speeches about their lives and what they represent. Marcus plays a video they put together of the team to sell everyone on their team. It is voiced over by JR’s speech to the students on bonfire night.

Marcus walks into the locker room with the boys. He has decided to send the video to local sponsors and several businesses want to sponsor several players. The team is elated and Marcus was inspired by the leadership and community he saw. Damon suggests using their individual endorsements to create a team fund and everyone agrees.

Marcus is doing paperwork when Allen arrives to applaud him for his work. Allen wants to force the players to share 75% of their shares with the university. Marcus refuses and tells Allen the boys won’t be ponies in his show any longer. Allen warns him not to get too comfortable, with Marcus asking if he’ll get shuffled out like Amara. He points out Amara’s tenure is on hold, with a surprised Allen admitting that all the professors’ tenures are not just hers. He asks why that is, but Allen doesn’t owe him an explanation and tells him to mind his business by staying in his lane.

At dinner with Amara, Marcus tells Amara that the tenures are postponed for everyone, but she knows the university would only do that if they were in more trouble financially than previously believed. As they prepare for dinner, Marcus, Damon, and Amara get along splendidly and laugh together. Simone and JR secretly wonder if Damon is the biological child of Amara and Marcus, as they did break up under ominous circumstances. JR still thinks Damon is his biological brother and doesn't support Simone's theory.

## References

1. ↑ "*Start Over*"
2. ↑ "*Under Pressure*"
3. ↑ "*Love and War*"