Phil Longo keeps two shirts from every school he coaches in a traveling bag. He’s a sentimental guy, and his four kids love wearing them. But he kept seven shirts from his time as Sam Houston’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16, wearing them around even though the Texas sun had beaten them up.

“This was a hard place to leave,” Longo said.

In a way, his heart never did.

After being let go as Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator, Longo had an SEC OC offer, a Big Ten OC offer and an NFL co-OC offer. The NFL deal was sealed, with a February 5 start date.

But then Sam Houston head coach KC Keeler took the Temple job.

The Longo family has two dozen friends here, including athletic director Bobby Williams, who have flown on vacations with them and stayed at their house. He got in trouble at Wisconsin’s phone-free team dinner because he was watching the Sam Houston game.

So here Longo sits in the head coach’s office, his heart, body and mind back in one place. There’s a massive stack of letters on his desk. He’s called, texted, or written to all Sam Houston’s 1,411 football alums. Over his career, he’s learned the world is about relationships. Hell, that’s why he’s here now. He wants everyone to feel involved in this program.

Longo has coached for 36 years and plans to go for 50 before retiring. And when he does, he’ll do so in Texas.

“If I coached here for 15 years and retired, I'd have had a good life,” Longo said.

But right now, he’s enjoying coaching more than ever. Longo was hired a week into the transfer portal and signed 22 players with him and offensive coordinator Zack Patterson as the only two full-time employees. He brought players to the facility and had no one to introduce them to. That work ethic has transferred to the staff he’s hired since. Defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay is still moving furniture in and out of his office next door.

“This is one of the best staffs I’ve ever been a part of,” Longo said. “I’m very, very proud of this staff we have here. From my general manager to my strength coach, who’s an absolute rock star, to these guys in this room - all I’ve got to do is ask, and it gets done.”

That’s why he’s confident he’ll have Sam Houston rolling in two to three years. But Year 1 may be a tall task. He equates a new coaching hire to taking care of a house. You’ll do the required maintenance if you’re only there for a few years. But if you’re there for the long haul, you put the pool in and redo the kitchen. That means it’ll look like a construction zone for a while. It’s a fitting metaphor - Bowers Stadium is under renovation for 2025, and the Bearkats will play all home games at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.

Bottom line: Dave Campbell’s Texas Football does not expect Longo to repeat Keeler’s 10-3 season, arguably the best coaching job in the country.

The Bearkats’ defense, ranked atop Conference USA last season, lost its top 16 tacklers after defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity took the North Texas job. The team went through spring football with three scholarship defensive linemen, one of whom (Matthew Aribisala) transferred. While many pieces return on offense, like quarterback Hunter Watson, questions remain on whether they’re compatible with Longo’s Air Raid scheme.

Longo himself was a polarizing hire. His first stint here as offensive coordinator was electric. The Bearkats won two Southland Conference Championships and produced Walter Payton Award-winning quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe. But Wisconsin ranked 101st nationally in scoring in Longo’s 23 games as offensive coordinator, and he’s only been a head coach for two years at La Salle from 2004-05.

While Longo did coach with Keeler, he’s not necessarily of the Keeler coaching tree. This will be a different reign than the one that brought Sam Houston from the FCS to FBS. Time will tell how it works. 

DCTF Take

Sam Houston spent decades building its program with the hopes of receiving an FBS invite, which it got in November 2021. Two years after officially joining the blackjack table of major college football, it realizes NIL and a two-window transfer portal have bumped the ante up. Sam Houston playing every home game in Houston while their stadium is renovated is a constant reminder - a lot of work needs to be done before last year’s double-digit win season can become the new normal. In Phil Longo’s first season with an entirely new defense, bowl game expectations are a stretch.

Offensive Breakdown

Phil Longo’s ‘Air Raid’ tag is slightly misleading. Like most protégés of the late, great Mike Leach, Longo has emphasized the running game more than the classic Texas Tech and Washington State teams did.

Take Longo’s first stint at Sam Houston as offensive coordinator from 2014-16, for example. The 2014 team ran the ball for over 800 yards more than it passed. Then, in 2016, quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe won the first of two Walter Payton Awards with an FCS record 57 touchdown passes.

Whether the offense is ground-and-pound or air-it-out largely depends on who wins the starting quarterback battle. Returning starter Hunter Watson was the heart and soul of Sam Houston’s offense last season, gaining 647 yards and nine touchdowns as a power runner between the tackles.

“Hunt is one tough son of a gun,” linebacker CJ Johnson said. “I guess it’s that JUCO dawg in him.”

But the body blows left Watson battered and bruised by the season’s midway point, which resulted in inconsistent passing performances. He did ace his early audition for the Air Raid by throwing for 213 yards on an 82% completion rate in the bowl game.

Mettauer, a former four-star from The Woodlands, is the prototypical Air Raid quarterback. He followed Longo to Sam Houston.

Whoever wins the starting job will inherit a simplified playbook from last season. Longo says that while he creates a lot of different pictures for the defense, he’ll run similar plays repeatedly.

“From a learning standpoint, when they start getting bored or asking, ‘What else you got?’ I know it’s becoming instinctive,” Longo said.

The players might get bored while learning, but the results are exciting when they play fast and free. Left tackle Kolt Dieterich said they busted more long runs in the spring.

“Coach brings a completely different attitude to what we’ve had before,” Dieterich said. “He runs a quick offense, we’re having fun out there.”

Dieterich made the All-CUSA freshman team splitting time at left tackle with Luke Eckardt last season. He’ll start full time in 2025 while Eckardt shifts to guard. Rhett Larson played left guard last year, but his versatility could bring him to the right side while Eckardt stays on the left. Longtime guard James Dawn is the favorite to replace Ethan Hagler, the Bearkats’ center since 2020. At right tackle, Maryland transfer Kevin Kalonji projects to start after enrolling in the summer.

“You don’t have to worry about anybody messing up on the offensive line,” Dieterich said. “We’ve got a bunch of good dudes up there, and we’re all close and work very well together.”

That’s good news for Sam Houston’s running back crew. How the Bearkats split carries is still up in the air. Redshirt senior Elijah Green rushed for 558 yards at North Carolina with Longo as his offensive coordinator in 2022 and averaged 6.9 yards per carry last season at Indiana. Longo highlighted returnee Landan ‘Coco’ Brown for having an excellent spring.

The wide receiver room is more proven. Qua’Vez Humphreys is the leading returner with 385 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-3, 225-pound Humphreys is the Bearkats’ deep threat, evidenced by his 19.3 yards per catch. But Michael Phoenix II may be the premier option in 2025. At 6-2, 215 pounds, the redshirt senior has a unique blend of size and speed that gives defenses fits.

Breakout Candidates

RB Landan ‘Coco’ Brown – Brown immediately impressed Longo this spring with his talent and work ethic. The previous staff also praised Brown last spring, but he didn’t record a carry in the fall. The running back room is more open in 2025, however, and Brown is making the most of his opportunity.

TE Austin Smith – Longo named Smith as the spring’s most surprising player. The 6-5, 245-pound tight end won’t put up 80 catches, but he’ll play a large part in the offense as a physical mismatch in the middle of the field. Smith is competing with Mississippi State transfer Rayfield Lotten and Fernando Garza III.

 

Projected Starters

WR      7          Qua’Vez Humphreys  R-Sr.   6-3, 225           Junction City, Kan.    

WR      4          Michael Phoenix II     R-Sr.   6-2, 215           Conroe, Texas

WR      11        Malik Phillips             R-Sr.   5-11, 175         Clovis, N.M.  

LT       79        Kolt Dieterich             R-So.   6-6, 310           Riesel, Texas

LG       56        Luke Eckardt              Sr.       6-6, 300           Spring Grove, Ill.
C         71        James Dawn II                        Sr.       6-4, 315           New Braunfels, Texas

RG      70        Rhett Larson               R-Jr.    6-5, 300           College Station, Texas

RT       77          Kevin Kalonji             R-Sr.   6-5, 327           Kinshasa, Congo

TE       19          Rayfield Lotten           R-So.   6-6, 240           New Orleans, La.       

QB      10        Hunter Watson            R-Sr.   6-3, 210           Celina, Texas

RB      21           Elijah Green                R-Sr.   5-11, 210         Roswell, Ga.

K        37             RJ Lopez                     GR      5-11, 180         Huntington Beach, Calif.

 

Keep An Eye On

Former Sam Houston kicker Colby Sessums was a preseason All-Conference USA selection last season but missed the year with injury. In his absence, the Bearkats finished second-to-last in the conference by converting just 14-of-24 field goals. Sessums opted to transfer this offseason, which sets up a three-way battle between incumbent Christian Pavon, Purdue transfer RJ Lopez and incoming freshman Tate Ryan. Lopez is our pick to start, but he has been a kickoff specialist in four of his five collegiate seasons. His 6-for-11 career field goal mark is below what Sam Houston endured last season. Given defensive question marks, Sam Houston needs all the points it can get in 2025.

 

By the Numbers

23.8 – Sam Houston’s points scored per game, which ranked 99th in the nation. The Bearkats won the lowest scoring game in the FBS (9-3 against Louisiana Tech).

168.2 – Sam Houston’s passing yards per game, which ranked 122nd nationally. The Bearkats passed for under 100 yards in five games and never threw for more than 250.

32 – Sam Houston’s time of possession (in minutes) which ranked 13th in the nation. The Bearkats weren’t as explosive in the back half of the season, but they did sustain drives.

 

Defensive Breakdown

KC Keeler was the ultimate CEO of Sam Houston. When he hired coordinators, he allowed them to be head coaches of their side of the ball.

Phil Longo remembers Keeler walking into the offensive staff room once when he served as the Bearkats’ offensive coordinator from 2014-16. He asked Longo if he could show him a play, drew it on the whiteboard, then asked Longo for his thoughts.

“Coach, there are 12 guys in this formation,” Longo said.

Keeler whipped his head around, tapped the marker as he counted each guy, threw it up in the air, walked out of the room and never returned.

Longo loved how Keeler delegated, but he was hired for his offensive mind. He’ll call plays on that side of the ball and give defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay the same autonomy he had.

“I’ve never seen a guy that promotes the players playing for him more,” Longo said. “Guys want to play for him. I think that’s the biggest compliment you can give a coach.”

Aughtry-Lindsay, now on his fourth stint as a defensive coordinator, believes spending the past five years as the nickels coach at North Carolina State will make him a better DC.

“From the first meeting we had, I expressed to them that we’re going to coach them hard and we’re going to demand of them,” Aughtry-Lindsay said. “But we’re going to love them also.”

This is Aughtry-Lindsay’s show. But does he have the cast of characters for success in Year 1? He inherits a roster that lost its top 16 tacklers.

Redshirt senior CJ Johnson is the leading returner with 16 stops. However, Johnson’s vocal leadership is more important than his stats on a unit with many new faces. He and Aughtry-Lindsay have been in lock-step this offseason.

“I really appreciate him, because whether it’s football or off the field stuff, that’s a guy you can go to and lean on, no matter the circumstance,” Johnson said. “We love that man.”

Linebacker Artayvious Fish projects to line up next to Johnson in Aughtry-Lindsay’s base 4-2-5 formation. Fish started 12 games for Akron last season and recorded 68 total tackles.

Aughtry-Lindsay mentored three NFL defensive backs in his recent NC State stop. The secondary will be Sam Houston’s biggest strength in 2025.

Redshirt senior Emon Allen has been with Sam Houston since the 2021 season, and his patience should pay off with more playing time at nickel and cornerback. Cornell transfer Trey Harris brings rangy athleticism, at 6-4, 205 pounds, to the safety room. Cornerback Alonzo Edwards Jr. had a strong offseason after transferring from Texas State.

On paper, the numbers in the defensive line room are a glaring concern. Quardale Patt played in six games last year but didn’t register a tackle. Darien Jackson had 30 tackles and five sacks as a freshman at Mount San Antonio College. On the edge, former Alabama player Keelan Cox is back in the FBS after registering nine tackles for loss and six sacks last season at Texas Southern.

While the lack of proven options might make Year 1 a trying time, Aughtry-Lindsay and Longo have a long-term vision for the program. They started molding it over three coaching stops together (Slippery Rock in 2011, Ole Miss in 2018, Sam Houston in 2025).

“We’ve always said we wanted to win championships together,” Aughtry-Lindsay said. “There’s nothing less expected than to do that here.”

 

Breakout Candidates 

LB JaMair Diaz – Diaz, a transfer from Glenville State, led Division II with 21 tackles for loss in 2024 and earned Second Team All-American honors. The 6-1, 235-pound junior could line up at linebacker or rush off the edge. Sam Houston finished second in Conference USA in sacks, but lost every player who registered one.

CB Davion Green – Green was a JUCO All-American at Palomar College who led the state of California with nine interceptions last season. At 6-foot, 165 pounds last season, his size kept him in the junior college ranks despite outsized production. He’s put on 30 pounds of muscle this offseason. Green enrolled in the summer.

 

Projected Starters (4-2-5)

DE       99            Keelan Cox                 R-Sr.   6-4, 240           Houston, Texas

NT        90           Darien Jackson           Soph.   6-2, 285           Los Angeles, Calif.                            

DT       98        Quardale Patt              Sr.       6-5, 295           Stafford, Texas          

DE        33           Zeiqui Lawton            R-Sr.   6-1, 270           Charleston, W.V.

LB       28        CJ Johnson                  R-Sr.   6-1, 225           Little Elm, Texas

LB         6          Antayvious Fish          Gr.       6-0, 230           Atlanta, Ga.

CB       16            Joe Swen                     R-So.   6-3, 190           Philadelphia, Pa.                    

CB        0           Alonzo Edwards         Gr.       5-11, 190         Madison, Miss.

S        24              CJ Brown                    Sr.       5-11, 195         Canton, Mich.            

S           3           Trey Harris                 Gr.       6-4, 205           Atlanta, Ga.

NB      7          Emon Allen                 R-Sr.   5-9, 180           Austin, Texas 

P

 

Keep an Eye On
Besides the secondary, every position on Sam Houston’s defense has major depth concerns. Most of this is out of the staff’s control. The Bearkats ranked 135th out of 136 teams in returning production on defense. Longo was hired a week into the winter portal window, after many of the major dominoes had fallen. The staff landed several potential starters in the spring window, but they are still in a precarious spot for 2025 if any injuries arise. How do the Bearkats prioritize recovery and practice smarter to keep the few bodies they have healthy and fresh throughout the long season?

 

By the Numbers

20.46 – Sam Houston’s points allowed per game, which tied for 21st nationally and ranked atop Conference USA. The Bearkats won two games scoring 10 points or less.

177 – Sam Houston’s passing yards allowed per game, which ranked 13th nationally. The Bearkats lost two First Team All-Conference performers in the backend (Caleb Weaver, Kavian Gaither.)

16 – Sam Houston’s interceptions, which ranked 14th nationally. Defensive backs Caleb Weaver and Jaylon Jimmerson tied for first in Conference USA with four interceptions each.

Ceiling

7-5

Sam Houston is Conference USA’s surprise team again, but with the opposite formula of last year. Longo’s scheme leads to a top-three conference finish in points per game, and the defense usually makes the one or two stops it needs to win the game. The Bearkats open a newly renovated Bowers Stadium in 2026 with preseason buzz.

Floor 

1-11

A brutal opening stretch that includes a conference opener with Western Kentucky, a trip to Hawaii and a game against Texas prevents Sam Houston from winning its first game until October. A thin defensive rotation cannot stop a nosebleed, which forces the offense to press and make mistakes. Sam Houston finishes the year searching for moral victories because the scoreboard doesn’t show any.

 

Coach Gossip

“The things we see and observe are all real positives. I think their staff gets after it recruiting, and things seem to be trending up with facilities and money. I think Longo is a really good coach and is really sharp. He will find unique ways for them to have an advantage.”

“They hit the JUCO jackpot (last season). Not flashy, but tough, physical and well-coached. Their wins against Texas State and Louisiana Tech are who they are.”

“I’m excited for Longo to be back here in Texas. I know he has a great track record for high-performing offenses. When he was OC, Sam Houston could score with anyone.”

 

2024 Results

Aug. 31           at Rice             W 34-14

Sept. 7             at UCF            L 45-14

Sept. 14           Hawaii            W 31-13

Sept. 21           New Mexico State      W 31-11

Sept. 28           Texas State     W 40-39

Oct. 3              at UTEP          W 41-21

Oct. 16            WKU              L 31-14

Oct. 22            at FIU              W 10-7

Oct. 29            La Tech           W 9-3

Nov. 16           at Kennesaw State W 23-17 (OT)

Nov. 23           at Jax State      L 21-11

Nov. 29           Liberty            W 20-18

Dec. 19            Georgia Southern (New Orleans Bowl)         W 31-26

Record: 10-3 (6-2)

 

2025 Predictions

Aug. 23           at WKU (L)

Aug. 29           UNLV (L)

Sept. 6             at Hawaii (L)

Sept. 20           at Texas (L)

Oct. 2              at New Mexico State (W)

Oct. 9              Jax State (L)

Oct. 15            UTEP (L)

Oct. 28            at La Tech (W)

Nov. 8             at Oregon State (L)

Nov. 15           Delaware (L)

Nov. 22           at Middle Tennessee (L)

Nov. 29           FIU (W)

Prediction: 3-9

Biggest Game

UTEP – Programs are judged by their accomplishments and what their closest neighbors accomplish. UTEP and Sam Houston need successful years to build momentum for the future (UTEP for the Mountain West move, Sam Houston for a renovated Bowers Stadium). The Bearkats, in Year 1 of Phil Longo, beating UTEP in Year 2 of Scotty Walden would point to Sam Houston already gaining on their fellow Texas team in the rebuild process.

Trap Game

Delaware – This one’s personal for Delaware head coach Ryan Carty, who was the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston from 2018-21. That extra motivation, combined with Delaware being in its first season as an FBS program, puts the Bearkats on upset watch. Plus, if the season has gone astray by this point, have the Bearkats lost confidence?

Upset Bid

Western Kentucky – Things get weird in Week 1 but go haywire in Week Zero. Western Kentucky must prepare for this game by watching film of Phil Longo and Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay’s schemes at different schools. They won’t know how those schemes fit with the Sam Houston players until the game kicks off.