Sam Houston fires head football coach Phil Longo

Key Points:

• Sam Houston has dismissed Phil Longo as head coach of the Bearkats, effective immediately, following a 3–17 overall record and 1–11 mark in Conference USA since his December 2024 hire.
• The Bearkats struggled under Longo with a 2–10 season in 2025 and a 1–7 start in 2026, prompting athletic director Bobby Williams to seek new leadership to improve the program's competitiveness.
• Eric Raisbeck and Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay have been named interim co-head coaches for the remainder of the season as the school finalizes future plans.
• Longo previously had a successful tenure as Sam Houston’s offensive coordinator (2014–16), leading the team to multiple titles and playoff appearances, and later held offensive coordinator roles at Ole Miss, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
• The coaching change comes amid a downturn for a program that was a Conference USA contender under former coach K.C. Keeler, with recent losses to Western Kentucky, New Mexico State, and Missouri State.