2025 Sam Houston Bearkats football team

2025 Sam Houston Bearkats football
Conference	Conference USA
Record	0–0 (0–0 CUSA)
Head coach	Phil Longo (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Zack Patterson (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay (1st season)
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Conference USA football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Delaware*		0	–	0					0	–	0
FIU		0	–	0					0	–	0
Jacksonville State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Kennesaw State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Liberty		0	–	0					0	–	0
Louisiana Tech		0	–	0					0	–	0
Middle Tennessee		0	–	0					0	–	0
Missouri State*		0	–	0					0	–	0
New Mexico State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Sam Houston		0	–	0					0	–	0
UTEP		0	–	0					0	–	0
Western Kentucky		0	–	0					0	–	0
Championship: December 5, 2025
* – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules As of March 6, 2025

The 2025 Sam Houston Bearkats football team will represent Sam Houston State University in Conference USA (CUSA) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearkats are expected to be led by Phil Longo during the regular season, in his first year as the head coach. ^[1] The Bearkats play their home games at Bowers Stadium, located in Huntsville, Texas.

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Chris Murray	DL	Auburn
Caleb Weaver	S	Duke
Kendrick DuJour	DE	East Carolina
DJ McKinney	RB	New Mexico
Richard Outland Jr.	DL	North Texas
Quincy Wright	DL	North Texas
David Fisher	DB	North Texas
Trey Fields	LB	North Texas
Da'Veawn Armstead	DB	North Texas
Briceon Hayes	DE	North Texas
S'Maje Burrell	LB	North Texas
Simeon Evans	WR	North Texas
Jay Ducker	RB	Temple
Denver Warren	DL	UAB
Jase Bauer	QB	UT Martin
John Gentry	RB	UT Martin
Isaiah Cash	S	Virginia Tech
Ethan Hagler	IOL	Unknown
Eli Wallace	DE	Unknown
Sincere Jackson	LB	Unknown
Joseph Swen	DB	Unknown
Zach Hrbacek	RB	Withdrawn
Jadon Cardell	K/P	Withdrawn
Michael Phoenix II	WR	Withdrawn
Fernando Garza III	TE	Withdrawn

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous school
Antavious Fish	LB	Akron
Kaleb Black	WR	Arizona State
Trey Harris	S	Cornell
JaMair Diaz	LB	Glenville State
Jalyn Stanford	DB	Houston
Elijah Green	RB	Indiana
Payton McDonald	OL	Iowa Western CC
Zo'Maryon Bryan	OL	Kilgore CC
Jaydyn Johnson	DB	Lindenwood
Aviyon Smith-Mack	WR	LIU
Rayfield Lotten	TE	Mississippi State
Tim Burns Jr.	WR	Navarro JC
Jerrian Parker	RB	Southern Illinois
AJ Sargent	DL	Tarleton State
Keelan Cox	DL	Texas Southern
AJ Edwards	DB	Texas State
Cecil Powell	DB	Troy
Zeiqui Lawton	EDGE	West Virginia
Jace Arnold	DB	Wisconsin
Mabrey Mettauer	QB	Wisconsin

^{[2] [3]}

Roster

2025 Sam Houston Bearkats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 0 Zach Hrbacek  Sr WR 4 Michael Phoenix II  Sr WR 7 Qua'Vez Humphreys  Sr QB 10 Hunter Watson  Sr WR 11 Malik Phillips  Sr TE 12 Austin Smith  Sr QB 13 Sylas Gomez  Jr WR 14 Jyzaiah Rockwell  Jr QB 15 DJ Bailey  Fr WR 15 Shane Johnson  Sr WR 17 Lonnie Adkism  So WR 23 Adrian Murdaugh  Sr WR 25 Matthew Tatum  So RB 26 Trey Taylor  Fr RB 27 Garret Hagler  Jr RB 34 Landan Brown  So OL 52 Will Hutchens  So OL 54 Mich'le Joseph Jr OL 56 Luke Eckardt Sr OL 59 Graceson Jackson-Smith  Sr OL 61 Ben Gehrke  Fr OL 62 Carter Buchheit So OL 65 Easton Fulton  So OL 68 Jeremiah Edmond  So OL 70 Rhett Larson  Jr OL 71 James Dawn II Sr OL 76 Ford Ivey  So OL 78 Orion Irving  Jr OL 79 Kolt Dieterich  So WR 80 Fatu Mukuba So WR 81 Marcus Field  Fr TE 82 Cooper Stevens  Fr WR 83 Darrick Bledsoe III  So WR 84 Kaden Taylor  Jr WR 85 Karson Maynard Fr TE 86 Thomas Jewett  Jr WR 87 Rushil Patel  So WR 88 Terrance Guillory II  Fr WR Kaleb Black  So QB Jax Brown Fr OL Zo'Maryon Bryan Jr OL Logan Cahill Fr RB Xander Cheek  So WR London Deyon Fr RB Elijah Green  Sr QB Landyn Locke Fr TE Rayfield Lotten  So OL Payton McDonald Jr QB Mabrey Mettauer  Fr RB Jerrian Parker So RB Brock Perry  Fr WR Aviyon Smith-Mack Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 7 Emon Allen  Sr DB 12 Tyler Bailey  Jr DB 15 Jalen O'Neal  So DB 16 Joe Swen  So DB 20 Chantson Prox Jr DB 21 Dravon Wilson So DB 22 Jaidan Scott  Jr DB 23 Railyn Adams So DB 25 Dax Horany  So DB 27 Lyric Smith  Fr LB 28 CJ Johnson  Sr DB 29 KeSean Raven  Sr DB 31 Quan Williams  Sr DB 34 Cadiin Johnson  Sr LB 35 Gannon Tullos  Jr LB 36 Dean Ford  Fr OLB 37 Jacquis Ishmeal Jr. Sr OLB 38 Mitch Melton  Fr DB 39 Jon-Bernard Reynolds  So OLB 42 Ca'lub Holloway  Jr LB 45 Eli Wallace  So LB 50 Forest Gatlin III  So DL 51 Jaredh Frayre  So DL 54 Matthew Westmoreland  Fr DL 57 Ryan Gilleylen  Jr DL 58 Joshua Frayre  So DL 94 Josiah Stephens  Fr DL 96 Matthew Aribisala  Sr DL 97 Dylan Frazier  Jr DB Jace Arnold  Jr DL Keelan Cox  Sr LB JaMair Diaz Jr DB Alonzo Edwards GS LB Antavious Fish GS DB Trey Harris GS DE Brody Henderson Fr DL Zeiqui Lawton  Sr DB Cecil Powell GS DL AJ Sargent Sr DB Jalyn Stanford  So DB Braylen Wortham Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class LS 41 Zach Stricker  Sr K, P 43 Jadon Cardell  Sr LS 46 Carson Whitington  Jr K, P 47 Colby Sessums  Jr K, P 49 Christian Pavon  Sr	Head coach Phil Longo Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: February 7, 2025

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
August 23	at Western Kentucky	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY
August 30	UNLV *	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX
September 6	at Hawaii *	Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex Honolulu, HI
September 20	at Texas *	Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
October 2	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM
October 9	Jacksonville State	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX
October 15	UTEP	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX
October 28	at Louisiana Tech	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA
November 8	at Oregon State *	Reser Stadium Corvallis, OR
November 15	Delaware	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX
November 22	at Middle Tennnessee	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium Murfreesboro, TN
November 29	FIU	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX
*Non-conference game

^[4]

Game summaries

at Western Kentucky

See also: 2025 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

Game One – Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: Saturday August 23, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SHSU	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. UNLV

See also: 2025 UNLV Rebels football team

Game Two – UNLV Rebels (0–0) at Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX

• Date: Saturday August 30, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNLV	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UNLV	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Hawaii

See also: 2025 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team

Game Three – Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0

at Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex • Honolulu, HI

• Date: Saturday September 6, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SHSU	HAW
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Hawaii	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Texas

See also: 2025 Texas Longhorns football team

Game Four – Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) at Texas Longhorns (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Longhorns	0	0	0	0	0

at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX

• Date: Saturday September 27, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SHSU	TEX
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Texas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at New Mexico State

See also: 2025 New Mexico State Aggies football team

Game Five – Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) at New Mexico State Aggies (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Aggies	0	0	0	0	0

at Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM

• Date: Thursday October 2, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SHSU	NMSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
New Mexico State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Jacksonville State

See also: 2025 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team

Game Six – Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0–0) at Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX

• Date: Thursday October 9, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	JSU	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. UTEP

See also: 2025 UTEP Miners football team

Game Seven – UTEP Miners (0–0) at Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX

• Date: Wednesday October 15, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UTEP	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTEP	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Louisiana Tech

See also: 2025 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

Game Eight – Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA

• Date: Tuesday October 28, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SHSU	LT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Louisiana Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Oregon State

See also: 2025 Oregon State Beavers football team

Game Nine – Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) at Oregon State Beavers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Beavers	0	0	0	0	0

at Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR

• Date: Saturday November 8, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SHSU	ORST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Oregon State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. Delaware

See also: 2025 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

Game Ten – Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (0–0) at Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fightin' Blue Hens	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX

• Date: Saturday November 15, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	DEL	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Middle Tennessee

See also: 2025 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

Game Eleven – Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Blue Raiders	0	0	0	0	0

at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN

• Date: Saturday November 22, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SHSU	MTSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Middle Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs. FIU

See also: 2025 FIU Panthers football team

Game Twelve – FIU Panthers (0–0) at Sam Houston Bearkats (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, TX

• Date: Saturday November 29, 2025
• Game time: TBA
• TV announcers (TBA): TBA

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FIU	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "Longo hired as Bearkat head coach". gobearkats. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
2. "Sam Houston State Football Transfer Portal". ON3.
3. "Sam Houston Bearkats 2025 College Football Transfer Portal". 247Sports.
4. "2025 Sam Houston Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved December 30, 2024.