McDowell High School will have a new head football coach in 2025.

According to Evan Gerike of the Asheville Citizen Times, Darrell Brewer has retired after over 30 years as an educator and coach. He spent his last six seasons with the McDowell football program.

Before Brewer was hired as the head coach at McDowell in 2019, he was the head coach at Avery County High School in Newland from 2004-14.

Brewer had a career win-loss record of 87-106: he was 18-35 at McDowell and 69-71 at Avery.

McDowell finished its shortened 2024 season with a 2-6 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the Mountain Athletic 3A/4A Conference.

With an average daily membership of 1,702 students this school year, McDowell is set to become a 7A school once the N.C. High School Athletic Association realigns into eight classifications later this year.

In the second draft of new conferences released by the NCHSAA, McDowell was placed as the only 7A school in a conference with 6As A.C. Reynolds, Asheville, Freedom, South Caldwell, T.C. Roberson, and Watauga. This plan is subject to change after another period of appeals.