Head coach Phil Longo and quarterback Landyn Locke say culture, community support and a return to Bowers Stadium are shaping a new chapter for the Bearkats
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Relationships drive the vision for Sam Houston football
/wp:heading wp:paragraphHUNTSVILLE, Texas — Sam Houston head football coach Phil Longo says the foundation of the Bearkats’ program is about more than schemes, roster moves or stadium upgrades. For Longo, it starts with relationships.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphThat theme came through again and again as Longo and quarterback Landyn Locke reflected on the direction of the program, the lessons of last season and the anticipation building around a return to Bowers Stadium.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“Relationships has always been the cornerstone of everything,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphAs Sam Houston continues building at the FBS level, Longo said the goal is not simply to chase quick results. He said the Bearkats are trying to build the program the right way, with players who fit both on the field and off it.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphThere is obvious excitement surrounding the team, especially with stadium improvements and another offseason to shape the roster. But Longo made clear that his view of success begins with character.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“There’s not a room you’ll walk into where on the wall you don’t see the words character and production,” Longo said. “And it’s in that order.”
/wp:paragraph wp:headingA quarterback who followed trust to Huntsville
/wp:heading wp:paragraphFor Locke, the path to Sam Houston was rooted in familiarity and trust.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphThe Rockwall product said his connection to Longo stretches back through family ties. Longo had recruited Locke’s brother while coaching at North Carolina, later coached him at Wisconsin, and then recruited Landyn as well.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“How I kind of ended up at Sam Houston was just my connections through coach Longo,” Locke said. “Some things happened and I ended up here and couldn’t be happier.”
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphThat background made the move to Huntsville feel less like a leap into the unknown and more like a decision based on people he believed in.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLocke said the most important part of choosing a college was not flashy uniforms, giant stadiums or hype. It was finding the right relationships and the right place to grow.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“All those big stadiums, the cool uniforms, the number of uniforms, and all that stuff, that’s all really cool,” Locke said. “But I think really what it comes down for me is just the relationships.”
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said being close to home also became more important than he once expected. Sam Houston gave him the chance to stay connected to family while continuing to develop as a player.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“The relationships is the biggest aspect in my opinion,” Locke said. “But also just being close to home matters more to me than I thought it would.”
/wp:paragraph wp:headingA season shaped by unusual challenges
/wp:heading wp:paragraphLongo did not shy away from describing the difficulty of last season.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said the Bearkats were playing catch-up from the moment the staff arrived, and the circumstances of the season only added to the challenge. Sam Houston played away from its true home field, dealt with major travel demands and worked to merge a large group of new players into the program on a compressed timeline.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“We just play 12 away games, right?” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe noted that many of the new players arrived in June, were immediately thrown into summer work and had to learn an entire system while also adjusting to a new town, new teammates and a new staff.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“These are new guys in June that are thrown into the fire in the summer,” Longo said. “And before you know it, we’re playing ball.”
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLocke said the temporary setup last season came with real challenges, even while the team stayed focused on moving forward.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“This last year playing at that stadium, it was great, don’t get me wrong, but we all know we wanted to play at our home stadium,” Locke said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said players are eager to get back to playing in Huntsville, on the field where they practice and in front of the atmosphere they believe can help define the program.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“We as players couldn’t be more excited to go out there on a Saturday and play where you practice,” Locke said. “We’re stoked and we’re so excited to get after it in Huntsville.”
/wp:paragraph wp:headingBowers Stadium stands as a symbol of progress
/wp:heading wp:paragraphOne of the clearest signs of that next step is the continued work at Bowers Stadium.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLongo said he sees the progress every day from his office and described the changes as both visible and energizing. He believes the stadium will help transform football Saturdays in Huntsville into something larger than just the game itself.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“I think football here is going to be, the main deal is the game,” Longo said. “But I think the game in and around what’s going on on the field is going to become more of an event here at Sam Houston than it has in the past.”
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphThat matters for a program trying to deepen ties with the university, alumni and the wider community.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLongo said a true home-field environment is something he missed deeply last year, from the energy in the stands to the traditions that surround Bearkat football.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“We never saw our own field,” he said. “I hope I never have to go through a year where we don’t have our own stadium and play home games.”
/wp:paragraph wp:headingCommunity matters to the Bearkats
/wp:heading wp:paragraphBoth Longo and Locke pointed to Huntsville itself as one of the program’s strengths.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLongo said part of leading a program well means being “entrenched” in the place where you coach. For him, that means more than operating inside the football building. It means being part of the university and part of the town.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“I subscribe to the school of being entrenched in the place where you are,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said he and his wife, Tanya, plan to remain deeply involved in the community and that reconnecting with Huntsville has been meaningful during his return.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphFor Locke, the appeal of Huntsville has shown up in simple, everyday interactions.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“I would just go back to the community,” Locke said. “It seems like everywhere I go, it’s never a bad experience.”
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said whether he runs into people at H-E-B or at a local restaurant, the atmosphere has been supportive and welcoming.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“It’s always good interactions,” Locke said. “We have such a great community here.”
/wp:paragraph wp:headingLeadership is built in the offseason
/wp:heading wp:paragraphAs the Bearkats move through the offseason, Locke said one of the biggest challenges in modern college football is building chemistry quickly with incoming players.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said that process starts long before spring practices officially begin. January and February workouts, player-led throwing sessions and difficult winter conditioning all become proving grounds for leadership and trust.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“That’s where a lot of the trust is built,” Locke said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said the condensed nature of today’s college football calendar means teams have to accelerate relationship-building, especially with so many new faces entering the program each year.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“The biggest challenge is just all the new guys that come in and having to build that relationship and that chemistry as fast as you need to heading into spring ball,” Locke said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphStill, he believes the Bearkats have brought in the right kind of players.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“I think we’ve done a great job of bringing in a great group of guys, good character guys, and a lot of guys that can produce with us on the field,” Locke said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe added that he expects what happens this spring to surprise some people.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“I think it’s going to shock a lot of people,” Locke said.
/wp:paragraph wp:headingLongo wants lasting success, not a quick fix
/wp:heading wp:paragraphLongo emphasized that the Bearkats are not trying to rush the process, even in a results-driven sport.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe acknowledged that words like patience are not always popular with fans, recruits or families, but said sustainable success requires careful construction.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“We want to build it the right way so that when we get where we want to be, we can sustain success,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said that building at the FBS level is different from building at the FCS level and requires a different scale of planning, support and long-term thinking.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLongo also praised the alignment he sees across the university and athletic department, pointing to the role of Sam Houston leadership in helping move the program forward.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“It’s encouraging for a football coach that everybody is rowing in the right direction, the same direction, and we’re all thinking the same way,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:headingAlumni support remains a major piece of the program
/wp:heading wp:paragraphLongo said the program’s greatest asset is not only its current roster but also its former players.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said Sam Houston football has approximately 1,500 alumni, and the staff has worked to reconnect with them in a more deliberate way. That outreach, he said, has already led to more involvement and more support than ever before.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“There’s more people involved with our program right now than I think ever before,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said those relationships matter because past players helped put Sam Houston football in position to reach this era, and he wants them re-engaged with the current team.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphThat vision extends to events such as the program’s annual auction, which Longo said he hopes becomes more than a fundraiser. He wants it to become a rallying point for the entire Bearkat football family.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“We want to make it a rallying point or rallying date to get the Bearkat football family back here,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:headingA camp aimed at both development and recruiting
/wp:heading wp:paragraphLongo also highlighted the Kat Attack camp series set for June 18-21, describing it as both a service to players and a valuable evaluation opportunity for the program.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe said the camps are designed to help high school athletes improve their skills while also giving Sam Houston a live look at prospects.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“There’s nothing better than seeing somebody live,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLongo said high school recruiting remains a priority for the Bearkats, especially in Texas, even as the transfer portal continues to reshape roster construction across college football.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“We feel strongly that high school recruiting, particularly in the state of Texas, is going to remain a priority here,” Longo said.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphHe added that the camps also allow current players to step into teaching roles and gain a better appreciation for the game and for coaching.
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A simple message to fans
/wp:heading wp:paragraphAsked what he would say to fans ahead of the season, Locke kept it direct.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“I would just say come out and support,” he said. “It’s going to be a fun year.”
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphLongo echoed that invitation and said the program wants alumni, families and supporters to feel welcome around the team.
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph“Anybody in the Sam Houston Bearcat circle is welcome at any workout, at any practice, at any time,” Longo said. “We say it’s a family. It’s not just rhetoric. It’s how we do everything every day.”
/wp:paragraph wp:paragraphFor Sam Houston, that may be the clearest message of all heading into the next chapter. The Bearkats are trying to build a winner, but they are also trying to build something people in Huntsville can recognize as their own. And under Longo, the program believes both goals can rise together.
/wp:paragraph wp:headingFootball auction set for Aug. 1 in Huntsville
/wp:heading wp:paragraphSam Houston will host its 2026 football auction Aug. 1 at the Walker County Fairgrounds in Huntsville, bringing together alumni, fans and community supporters for an evening focused on strengthening the Bearkat program. The annual event typically includes a steak dinner along with silent and live auctions featuring sports memorabilia, travel packages and other Bearkat experiences. Organizers say the auction also gives supporters an opportunity to connect with coaches and players while helping provide resources that benefit student-athletes and the overall football program as Sam Houston continues building momentum at the FBS level.
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