Sam Houston went 2-10 last season and is off to a 1-7 start this season with the only win coming against Nicholls State, which plays in the FCS.
Despite Longo’s offensive background, the Bearkats rank 131st out of 138 FBS teams in points per game (18) and 124th in yards per game (322.8). They’ve scored just three points in three of their last four games. Sam Houston hired Longo in December 2024, a month after he was fired as offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, which ranked 97th nationally in scoring under Longo at the time.
“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 State athletic director Bobby Williams said in a statement released by the school. “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.”
Associated head coach Eric Raisbeck and defensive coordinator Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay will serve as interim co-head coaches for the Bearkats’ final four games this season, beginning Nov. 7 at Jacksonville State. Raisbeck followed Longo to Huntsville from Wisconsin. Aughtry-Lindsay had spent five years at North Carolina State before taking the job at Sam Houston after Longo was hired and had previously worked on the same staff as Longo at Slippery Rock and Mississippi.