North Crowley decides on head football coach to replace Ray Gates
Crowley ISD superintendent Dr. Michael D. McFarland recommended assistant head coach and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Harris as the next head coach of North Crowley football Thursday night. The district’s board of trustees unanimously approved the recommendation.
Harris will take over for Ray Gates, who departed to become the University of North Texas’ defensive line coach and a special assistant to newly hired head coach Neal Brown. Under Gates, the Panthers became a national powerhouse, winning the 2024 Class 6A Division I state championship.
“My job is to keep it going — to make it better,” Harris said. “I don’t want to just stay the same. But to make it better.”
The opening, filled in just 22 days, became one of the most coveted jobs in Texas high school football. That’s because North Crowley’s talent development, depth, culture and recent success have put the school in a position to compete for championships. Still, the district put full faith in its current coaches, promoting from within.
“My goal is to keep pushing our core values,” Harris said. “Our standard of behavior. Our mission statement — to make these guys champions in all areas of life, not just football.”
Prior to his time at North Crowley, Harris served as head coach at Mesquite High School and also had stints as an assistant at Cedar Hill, Richardson, Arlington Seguin and Little Elm.
This season, North Crowley (12-2) made a run to the regional final, where it lost to Allen 33-21. A section of the board meeting was dedicated to honoring North Crowley’s 2025 season. Harris’ defense was a huge piece, allowing 19 points per game.
“They gave it everything they had,” Harris said of the season. “We always want to win a state championship. That’s our goal. But these guys did a great job, and we’re proud of them. Not just the way they play, but the way they act. The way they lead.”
North Crowley’s rise to prominence as a state power has brought Fort Worth to a rare position. Prior to North Crowley’s state title in 2024, a school from the city hadn’t won the UIL’s largest classification championship in 75 years. Harris played a key role as defensive coordinator.
“The things that we’ve been doing, just take them to another level,” Harris said. “That’s my goal. You guys will get everything from me every single day. Everything I’ve got. I wake up with my tank full, and I’m trying to empty the tank every day. And what a blessing. I lost my mom a couple of years ago. I know she is smiling down from heaven, watching her son take this job.”
Harris will coach the No. 1 class of 2027 recruit in the nation, John Meredith III, who announced Wednesday he is transferring to North Crowley High School.
Harris ended his remarks with three words: “The dynasty continues.”
“Congratulations to North Crowley and Coach Harris!,” Gates wrote on X. “I know he is going to take NC to even higher heights!!!”
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 7:05 PM.
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