Sam Houston announced Wednesday that Phil Longo will no longer be head coach of the Bearkats, effective immediately.
Longo, hired in December 2024 to replace KC Keeler (left for Temple), finishes with a 3-17 overall record and a 1-11 mark in Conference USA. The Bearkats went 2-10 in 2025 and 1-7 in 2026.
“Phil has contributed to Bearkat football as an offensive coordinator and head coach, and we appreciate his work with our student-athletes,” athletic director Bobby Williams said in a statement. “Our responsibility is to evaluate the performance and direction of the program. After careful review, I believe a change in direction is necessary to allow Bearkat Football to compete consistently in Conference USA and meet the expectations of our student-athletes, our university and our fans.”
Associate head coach/special teams coordinator Eric Raisbeck and defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay will serve as interim co-head coaches for the remainder of the season. The school said it will share additional information as plans for the program are finalized.
Longo returned to Huntsville after a highly successful stint as the Bearkats’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014 to 2016. In that role, he helped Sam Houston to a 34-10 record, two Southland Conference titles, multiple FCS playoff appearances and a No. 1 ranking, and was named the 2016 FootballScoop FCS Coordinator of the Year. He later held offensive coordinator positions at Ole Miss (2017-2018), North Carolina (2019-2022) and Wisconsin (2023-2024), developing quarterbacks including Drake Maye and Sam Howell while implementing air raid concepts.
Raisbeck joined Longo’s staff in 2025 after previous stops including Wisconsin and Penn State. Aughtry-Lindsay, also hired by Longo, came from NC State (where he served as interim defensive coordinator during the 2024 Military Bowl) and previously worked with Longo at Slippery Rock and Ole Miss.
The move comes amid a difficult period for a program that had established itself as a Conference USA contender under Keeler before the coaching change. Sam Houston’s most recent results include losses to Western Kentucky, New Mexico State and Missouri State.
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