From the football fields of Beverly Hills, to the tennis courts and baseball fields of Atlanta, The CW has done more than give us a spinoff of “All American”– they have created a whole new set of experiences for audiences to relate to. In this case, the backdrop for the thrilling and at times tumultuous thing we call “College Life” takes place at an HBCU.
“All American: Homecoming” focuses on a new chapter in the life of Simone Hicks (Geffri Maya). No longer is she just the girlfriend of football star Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling), nor is she just a new mother. Now, she is a college freshman and tennis hopeful at Bringston University, a (fictional) HBCU located in Atlanta.
But Simone is not the only character with new beginnings at Bringston.
The main characters of this show also include Damon Sims (Peyton Alex Smith), a star baseball player, Marcus Turner (Cory Hardrict), the head coach of the baseball team, and Amara Patterson (Kelly Jenrette), a journalism professor at Bringston and Simone’s aunt– just to name a few.
The pilot episode, which aired on Feb. 21 on The CW, set the tone for an interesting season by introducing a number of plot points.
Here are five predictions that we have for this season of “All American: Homecoming”.
*Note: SPOILERS AHEAD!!! You can catch up by downloading the CW App or visiting cwtv.com*
1. A Love Triangle Is In The Works
Those who have seen “All American” know that the relationship between Simone and Jordan has been quite the rollercoaster– the pair went from newlyweds to newly-divorced within a few episodes!
The start of the pilot indicates that the two are still going strong and plan to continue their relationship at their respective colleges, as we witness Jordan see Simone off as she heads to Bringston for move-in day. But it already seems as if he might have some competition with Damon.
Sparks have been flying between Simone and Damon since our first introduction to Damon in “All American: Homecoming”, a backdoor pilot episode in the show’s predecessor. Their chemistry is undeniable, and it only seems to be getting stronger.
This begs the question: Will Jordan and Simone last?
2. Professor P Might Be No Longer
Move-in day might be where the series begins, but it is clear that Bringston has much going on beyond the surface. As revealed by Professor Patterson, who is often referred to as Professor P, and university president Zeke Allen (Leonard Roberts), the baseball team is reeling from a scandal.
Professor P publicly exposed the fact that the information surrounding courses being taken by some baseball players had been less than truthful. Let’s just say that those players have been suspended from the team and that the former head coach is just that– a former head coach. The fate of the team now rests in the hands, or in the mitts, of Damon.
But the fate of Professor P’s position is up in the air. She has essentially been blackballed and has had her number of courses dramatically reduced.
While we aren’t saying that her role as a professor will without a doubt be revoked, we are interested to see how the nature of her position evolves– or devolves– throughout the course of the season.
3. Coach Turner Will Get Exposed
Due to the aforementioned baseball scandal, Coach Turner is now the head coach of the team. As amazing as that might be for him, this also means that he has what likely feels like the weight of the world on his shoulders.
He is now tasked with coaching a team reeling from the loss of a number of players, meaning that he must build up their physical and psychological endurance; as we saw in their scrimmage against Hawkins University, the two are equally important.
But he also walks around with a big secret that relates to the team’s current state. We won’t reveal what exactly he did, but we will say that we believe it will get exposed to the team.
4. Damon’s Birth Parents Are Closer Than He Thinks
Toward the end of the episode, we learn that Damon was adopted. Although he does not know his birth parents, we do know that they were alumni of Bringston.
His childhood friend and fellow teammate Jessie “JR” Raymond (Sylvester Powell) seems quite shaken by this fact, as his parents, too, were alumni of Bringston. Additionally, he has a photo of a young boy that could easily be a younger version of Damon.
So does this mean that the pair are brothers in more than a figurative way? We’ll have to keep watching to find out!
5. Simone Might Take *Someone’s* Spot
Simone took a step away from the tennis courts throughout her time in Beverly Hills, but she returns to the sport at Bringston. Although she had a bit of a rough start due to a late night out, it is quite clear that team captain Thea Mays (Camille Hyde) has it out for her, and it has been that way since the backdoor pilot.
In the name of reviving her reputation, it seems as though Simone will be working twice as hard to show that her place on the team is not a mistake, and we think that this might put the spot of someone else on the team in jeopardy.
We won’t name names, but we will say that Thea might have put up quite the fight.
So will our predictions come true?
We do not know, but we do know that “All American: Homecoming” airs tonight at 9/8c on The CW or stream free tomorrow on the CW App. We will definitely be tuning in!