Sam Houston Fires Phil Longo After 20 Games as Head Coach

Sam Houston has fired head coach Phil Longo after 20 games. The Bearkats are 1-7 on the season with an 0-4 mark in Conference USA. He leaves Huntsville with a 3-17 record overall. He was named the head coach in December of 2024 after long-time head coach K.C. Keeler left for Temple.

Associate head coach Eric Raisbeck and defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay will serve as interim co-head coaches.

Longo was a former offensive coordinator at Sam Houston under Longo who then enjoyed stops as a play caller at Ole Miss, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. But the Bearkat offense never clicked with Longo in charge. They ranked last in scoring offense and scoring defense during his debut season of 2025.

Sam Houston has struggled mightily since CUSA play began. They went 10 quarters this season without a touchdown and have only managed three points in three of the four CUSA games this year. The 33 points scored in conference play so far this season is the lowest in the league by 20 points even though six of the other teams have only played three conference games.  

Sources say the vibes behind the scenes were as poor as the performances. Longo, who had only been a head coach once in his career (2004-05 at La Salle), alienated many in the support staff and current and former players were vocal about their displeasure on social media over the last few weeks. For Sam Houston to make a move this early into a tenure means the issues extended further than the playing field.

Sam Houston is currently in its fourth season at the FBS level. The Bearkats are 16-29 over that time, winning 10 games, including the New Orleans Bowl in 2024 under Keeler. They won the FCS national championship in the spring of 2021 before moving up in the 2023 season.

Complicating the upcoming search is that longtime athletic director Bobby Williams is planning to retire after the 2025-26 school year. It was thought that Sam Houston would wait to make a move like firing a head coach in football until a new AD was hired and allowed time to access the situation. Instead, the Bearkats decided to pull the plug and start the process of finding a new figure head for 2027 and beyond.

It is too early to know for sure where Sam Houston turns next, especially with the uncertainty of who will make the final hiring decision. Names that were amongst the finalists in 2024 that are still viable options include Houston assistant head coach Shawn Bell and North Texas defensive coordinator Matt Powledge, who played for Sam Houston.

Stay tuned to DaveCampbells.com for more.