Markavion Toombs

Bit of a long-form post here (feel free to skip) but was inspired to give a look into my backstory after seeing many other coaches and players do so recently. Especially since us as coaches always want to know our kids’ background but not always tell ours. So even though right now I am living in a dorm. With an aging truck. Working all hours of the day and night. Missing all the “fun” people my age pursue. Unable to be 100% certain in my future in this field. And just scraping by financially. I am truly blessed beyond any belief every day I have air in my lungs. Here’s why God’s plan > my plan: 10 months ago I was back home wanting to get back into coaching after taking time away in 2025 due to some issues I wanted some time to deal with. However, I was stuck once again waiting for that opening. I was cutting and picking up heavy plastic rolls 12 hours a day, 3-5 days a week, for month after month just to scrape by after all my expenses. I split rent with one of my best friends since high school to save some money. I paid him half of the bills for his double-wide home he had purchased as a sign of gratitude for the arrangement. I was debating picking up a 2nd job at Dunham’s in town and doing nothing but working both jobs which I only tolerated for the next few years to pay off my loans and be debt-free. But being a coach again was an itch in the back of my head I couldn’t scratch. Only a few weeks after I mentioned it to my parents - Ellsworth had a RB coach spot come open around Christmas (a sign, I’d like to think) - the same school I started my coaching career at in 2024 only 2 months after graduating and the only “yes” I received from 1000+ applications, emails, and DMs. I took it without hesitation as I knew second chances are extremely rare for this industry, plus I loved what Ellsworth was, the people in and around the campus, and the potential for what it could become with the right approach. 9 months later - after cutting and moving plastic for half the day multiple days in a row and wondering if I’d get out in time- or ever - here I am co-leading a college offense and leading a college football team’s recruiting system at just 24 years old. Something I had spent countless nights dreaming about as a kid. Staying up till 2 am on the weekends playing Dynasty in Madden and NCAA - not for the gameplay, but the team-building and management aspect. Putting together custom playbooks for recess and backyard football. And now it is my everyday life. So to everyone out there who is uncertain, impatient, or just plain lost/hopeless: 1) Keep working as hard as you can. 2) Treat others exactly how you’d want them to treat you. 3) Keep your faith strong. 4) Pray not for the answers, but the problems that will toughen and lead you to those answers. 5) Cherish your support circle, no matter what size, and let them know you love and appreciate them often. And remember - the next 2-3 months might not change much, but the next 2-3 years certainly could, and the next 20-30 years definitely will. Lastly, I challenge you reading this to tell your story, not for the clicks and the reposts - but because a young man/woman out there may be having the same struggles you had and having the same doubts you may still be fighting. Be the answer they are desperately seeking whether they know it or not. To my fellow coaches and my players - thank you for your trust, support, belief, and effort every day. Let’s go make Ellsworth a dynasty again. God bless, and good luck to everyone playing/coaching over the weekend!