Sam Houston fires football coach Phil Longo amid 1-7 start to season

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Sam Houston fired coach Phil Longo amid a 1-7 start to the season, the school announced Wednesday.

Longo went 3-17 during his two-season tenure leading the program, with a 1-11 record in Conference USA play and nine consecutive losses to FBS opponents.

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

"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 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."

Williams hired Longo to replace longtime coach K.C. Keeler, who led the program from 2014-24 and won four conference titles and an FCS national championship in the Spring of 2021. The program moved up to compete in FBS as a member of Conference USA in 2023, and Keeler departed for the head-coaching job at Temple a year later.

Longo previously worked under Keeler at Sam Houston and was the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Ole Miss prior to earning his first FBS head-coaching job. He went 2-10 in his debut season with victories over Oregon State and Delaware.

Sam Houston ranks No. 131 nationally in scoring offense this season and is averaging 12.1 points per game against FBS opponents. The program has a 16-29 record since moving up to FBS.

The Bearkats are idle this week, with a road game up next at Jacksonville State on Nov. 7.