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Former UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo fired after disastrous Sam Houston tenure

The offensive minded coach sure had trouble leading a successful offense during his rough tenure as Sam Houston's head coach.
ByNick Delahanty
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Sep 26, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Sam Houston Bearkat head coach Phil Longo before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Galaxy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images
Sep 26, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Sam Houston Bearkat head coach Phil Longo before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Galaxy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Phil Longo experience at Sam Houston has officially come to an end.

And boy, was it a rough one.

Sam Houston announced that it has fired Longo less than two full seasons into his tenure as head coach of the Bearkats.

Longo finishes his tenure with a dreadful 3-17 overall record, including 1-11 in Conference USA play. Sam Houston went 2-10 in his first season and is 1-7 through eight games this fall.

Phil Longo's offense certainly didn't help his case

Tar Heel fans are quite familiar with Longo.

He served as Mack Brown's offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in Chapel Hill from 2019 to 2022, where he had some success with star quarterback Sam Howell. He left UNC to take the same role at Wisconsin, but didn't last long with the Badgers and was fired during the 2024 season.

Then, he was hired as the head coach at Sam Houston, taking him back to a place where he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014 to 2016.

Unfortunately, his return to Sam Houston undoubtedly didn't work out.

For someone who built his reputation as an offensive mind, the numbers on that side of the football are particularly ugly.

Sam Houston currently ranks No. 131 nationally in scoring offense and No. 124 in total offense. Even worse, the Bearkats have scored just three points in three of their four Conference USA games this season.

The final straw came Tuesday night when Sam Houston suffered a 24-3 loss to Missouri State. It took the university less than 24 hours to decide that the loss was the final straw.

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

Longo's return to Sam Houston lasted just 20 games. Given that the Bearkats won only three, it's not hard to see why.

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