Sam Houston Fires Football Coach Phil Longo After Less Than Two Seasons

Sam Houston has fired head football coach Phil Longo less than two seasons into his tenure, the school announced Wednesday. Associate head coach Eric Raisbeck and defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay will share interim head coaching duties for the remainder of the season.

Longo finished 3-17 overall in his time leading the Bearkats, including 1-11 in Conference USA play. The decision came a day after a 24-3 loss to Missouri State on Tuesday, the team's ninth consecutive defeat against FBS competition.

Athletic director Bobby Williams explained the move in a statement. "Phil has contributed to Bearkat football as both an offensive coordinator and head coach, and we appreciate his work with our student-athletes," Williams said. He added that the department's 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 said.

Sam Houston hired Longo for his first FBS head coaching job only weeks after he was dismissed as offensive coordinator at Wisconsin. That timing made him an inexpensive addition for a program still young at the FBS level. He took over for K.C. Keeler, who guided the Bearkats to an FCS national championship in Spring 2021. Under Keeler, the team went 10-3 and earned its first bowl victory since moving up to FBS two years earlier.

Longo was no stranger to the program. He worked as Keeler's offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016, a stretch in which Sam Houston won two Southland titles and reached a national FCS semifinal.

His return as head coach did not recapture that success. The offense, long considered his specialty, ranked last in Conference USA in both of his seasons in charge. This year it averaged just 322.8 yards per game, and the Bearkats managed only three points in three of their four conference games.

Raisbeck and Aughtry-Lindsay will now try to steer the team through the rest of the season while the school reviews the future direction of the program.