On Tuesday morning, Ennis ISD announced via social media that EISD Athletic Director Don Drake would take over as the Lions' head football coach, recombining the positions that had been separated the past few seasons. Drake, who joined Ennis ISD as the district's athletic director in 2019, replaces Sam Harrell, who announced he'd retire late in the 2024 season.

Drake has plenty of head coaching experience after starting the McKinney Boyd program in 2006 and leading that program for a dozen seasons, posting a 64-67 mark. After going 0-10 in their debut season in 2006, Drake and the Broncos were one of the feel-good stories in DFW, posting a 9-4 mark in 2007 and advancing to the regional semifinals. Drake also led McKinney Boyd to the area playoffs in 2010, 2013 and 2014.

Drake has big shoes to fill, stepping in for an Ennis and TXHSFB legend in Sam Harrell, who led the Lions to three state championships and posted a career record of 247-87; Harrell retired due to health concerns due to his battle with multiple sclerosis.

Drake takes over an Ennis squad that stumbled to a 4-6 mark in 2024 after five straight seasons of advancing to at least the area round of the playoffs; in 2019, the Lions advanced to a regional final, falling to Aledo in overtime.