Sam Houston fires head coach Phil Longo in less than two full seasons after 3-17 run

Sam Houston fired head coach Phil Longo on Wednesday, one day after a 24-3 loss to Missouri State dropped the Bearkats to 1-7 on the season.

Longo finished 3-17 in less than two full years on the job, including 1-11 in Conference USA play.

“Phil has contributed to Bearkat football as both an offensive coordinator and head coach, and we appreciate his work with our student-athletes,” Sam Houston athletic director Bobby Williams, who is set to retire after the school year, said in a statement. “Our responsibility is to evaluate the program’s performance and direction. After careful review, I believe a change in leadership is necessary to position Bearkat Football to compete consistently in Conference USA and meet the expectations of our student-athletes, university and supporters.”

Longo was hired to replace K.C. Keeler, who won the spring 2021 Football Championship Subdivision national championship and won 10 games at the Football Bowl Subdivision level in 2024. Keeler left to become head coach at Temple after the 2024 season.

Sam Houston was an FCS powerhouse under Keeler and Willie Fritz, with eight top-10 finishes in 11 seasons before the move to FBS. Since then, the Bearkats are 16-29 at the FBS level, with their only success being a 10-3 season and a bowl win in 2024. The program operates with one of the lowest budgets in FBS, but it just completed a $60 million renovation of Bowers Stadium.

Potential candidates for the Sam Houston opening include North Texas defensive coordinator Matt Powledge, Houston quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell, Lamar head coach Pete Rossomando, Prairie View A&M head coach Tremaine Jackson, Texas Tech wide receivers coach Justin Johnson and Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon,  among others.