Phil Longo Fired at Sam Houston Amid AD Search
Huntsville - Sam Houston fired head coach Phil Longo on Wednesday after the Bearkats dropped to 1-7 with a 24-3 loss to Missouri State. The move ends a tenure of just 20 games that produced a 3-17 overall record and a 1-11 mark in Conference USA play. Athletic director Bobby Williams stated that Longo contributed as both an offensive coordinator and head coach, but a change is necessary to position the program to compete consistently in Conference USA and meet the expectations of student-athletes, the university, and supporters.
Associate head coach Eric Raisbeck and defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay will serve as interim co-head coaches for the final four games, an unusual arrangement with little recent precedent at the FBS level. Both coaches are in their second season at Sam Houston.
Longo, 58, arrived in Huntsville in December 2024 as a familiar face with a proven offensive track record. He had previously served as Sam Houston’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014 to 2016 under K.C. Keeler. In that stretch the Bearkats went 34-10, won two Southland Conference titles, reached the FCS semifinals twice, and in 2016 averaged 547 yards and 49.5 points per game. Quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe won the Walter Payton Award that season, and Longo earned national Coordinator of the Year honors. The program was an FCS powerhouse, and Longo left for higher-profile coordinator roles at Ole Miss, North Carolina (where he coached future NFL quarterbacks Sam Howell and Drake Maye), and Wisconsin.
At Wisconsin, Longo’s Air Raid-influenced system never fully took hold. Luke Fickell fired him on November 17, 2024, the day after a 16-13 home loss to top-ranked Oregon. The Badgers ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in scoring and total offense amid quarterback injuries. Weeks later, Keeler left Sam Houston for Temple after guiding the Bearkats through their FBS transition and to a 10-3 season capped by a New Orleans Bowl win over Georgia Southern in 2024. Williams, seeking someone who understood the school amid budget and roster challenges after the move to Conference USA, turned to Longo. The hire made sense on paper: program knowledge plus recent Power conference experience.
Results did not follow. Sam Houston finished 2-10 in 2025 and sits at 1-7 in 2026, with the only win coming against FCS opponent Nicholls State. Under Longo, the Bearkats remained winless against FBS competition. The offense, which Longo continued to call, ranked last in Conference USA both seasons. This year it has averaged roughly 326 yards and 18 points per game overall, with even poorer output in conference play, including multiple three-point efforts, as Longo appeared to have lost the locker room. Longo described the first year as unusually difficult due to roster turnover and portal activity, saying the original plan was disrupted by “roaring rapids.” He entered year two emphasizing stability after earlier signings and claimed the program was “light years ahead” of the previous season in development, even if the record did not show it. Fan and alumni frustration grew, and a USA Today list of coaches on the hot seat the week before the Missouri State game cited the 3-16 record at the time. The 24-3 loss on Tuesday sealed the decision.
The search for a permanent replacement begins against a complicated backdrop. Bobby Williams, the longest-tenured athletic director in FBS, announced in September that he will retire at the end of the 2026-27 athletic year after 45 years at the university, including nearly three decades as AD. He has overseen the rise from Division II through FCS (including the 2021 national championship) to FBS and Conference USA, plus major facility investments. Sam Houston retained CSA Search & Consulting in mid-October for a national search for his successor. Williams remains in place through June 1, 2027, providing continuity while President Alisa White leads the process.
How the coaching hire is handled while the AD search unfolds is a practical question. Williams can still make the football decision as the sitting athletic director, and the school has not indicated any delay. Completing the coach search relatively soon would allow the new staff to recruit in the portal and high school cycles before the 2027 season. At the same time, the incoming AD will inherit the hire and set long-term expectations for Conference USA competitiveness. Some programs in similar transitions have involved the incoming athletic director in final interviews or granted the new AD input on contract length and vision, but nothing public suggests that approach here yet. The interims give the university a short evaluation window on existing staff before committing to an outside candidate, while the national AD search proceeds on its own timeline.
Speculation on the next coach focuses on program familiarity, Texas ties, and the need for consistent Conference USA results. Josh McCown, the former Bearkats quarterback now with the Minnesota Vikings, brings deep program roots and NFL experience. Matt Powledge, a Huntsville native and former Bearkat now defensive coordinator at North Texas, offers local ties and recent coordinator success. Shawn Bell, currently at Houston and a previous finalist for the job, has strong Texas coaching credentials. Rising offensive coordinators with Group of Five success, such as Ben Arbuckle or Joe Sloan, also fit as candidates who understand the conference and could install a more productive attack.
Internal options include the co-interims themselves if the remaining games show improvement, though the co-head coach setup is temporary by design. Past Sam Houston searches have favored coaches with prior program or state connections, as Williams emphasized when hiring Longo. The next hire will inherit a roster still finding its footing at the FBS level, a Conference USA schedule, and the dual challenge of competing for bowls while the broader athletic department transitions leadership. Williams has made the call to move on; the permanent successor will be measured against the standard of consistent Conference USA relevance.
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