All American: Why Darnell Left In Season 3 (& Will He Return?)

All American season 3 surprisingly sees Darnell Hayes (Da’Vinchi) leave Crenshaw; here’s why he suddenly left the show and what his future could hold. Fans were introduced to Darnell in All American season 2, where he was revealed to be the son of Corey James and a talented football player. He and Spencer originally didn’t get along but later bonded after Corey’s death, and the half-brothers were then poised to play football together at South Crenshaw in season 3.

After appearing in every episode of All American season 2, Darnell became somewhat of a fan-favorite character. Viewers were looking forward to him having a similarly large role in season 3, but that isn’t exactly what happened. He factored into the first four episodes of All American season 3, where he battled for the starting quarterback spot at South Crenshaw after Billy Baker became the head coach. Surprisingly, Darnell leaves Crenshaw and the James family at the end of episode 4 and didn’t come back during the remainder of the season.

Related: All American Season 3 Ending Explained

Darnell’s exit from All American season 3 was explained in-universe as the result of his mom getting injured as she serves in the army. While that is an understandable reason for Darnell to leave, the real explanation for his fast exit from Crenshaw has to do with Da’Vinchi’s real-life career. He booked a role on Starz’s upcoming show Black Mafia Family, which was filming at the same time as All American season 3. Da’Vinchi appears to have been written out of the show to pursue other opportunities, including the Broadway play Thoughts of a Colored Man, which will begin playing in late 2021.

Despite All American season 3 moving forward without Darnell, it doesn’t appear that this was always supposed to be the plan. After season 2 came to a close, Da’Vinchi mentioned in interviews that Darnell wasn’t going anywhere and that he’d be a big part of the show’s future. Part of the plan appeared to be him and Spencer teaming up for a run at the state title. Something changed between season 2’s completion and the start of season 3, though, it seems. It is unclear if COVID-19 and lockdowns had anything to do with this or if it simply came down to schedules and Da’Vinchi booking other work.

Viewers will now be left to wonder if Darnell will return for All American season 4 or at another point in the future. There are no confirmed plans for Da’Vinchi to come back so soon, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. It will be fascinating to see what role Darnell plays should he eventually return. He did have an offer from UCLA to play college football there, but that was before he lost his starting job in his senior year and then missed most of Crenshaw’s season. It is possible that he played at another school near where his mom was recovering though. Perhaps Darnell even made the All-American team like Spencer and Jordan Baker. At this point, it will be up for future seasons of All American to reveal what happened to him.

MORE: How All American Season 3 Set Up Simone’s Spinoff