The first part of the 2026 season is officially in the books for Sam Houston football.
On Saturday, Sam Houston wrapped up its second spring season under the direction of Phil Longo. The Kats hosted an “open practice” that was played as three periods of 15 minutes across two hours.
After the end of the session, the side of the scoreboard that said “Houston” had 28 points, while the side that said “Sam” had zero.
The Houston side of the board was the offensive side that was led by DJ Bailey. Heading into the season, Longo has made it known that sophomore quarterback Landyn Locke was going to be the quarterback of the team.
Bailey’s back shoulder throw to Kamari Maxwell for a touchdown was the highlight of the event.
Despite the strong showing from Bailey, it still feels like Locke’s job to lose.
“It couldn’t be more different. The quicker release is DJ Bailey,” Longo said. “They both like throwing deep. Locke’s biggest strength is his accuracy. Landen is probably further ahead, mentally. Both can be mobile enough to extend plays. I don’t know if either is a huge run threat for defenses to worry about.”
However, over the course of the summer and fall, things will be opened up to a handful of freshmen, too. Sam Houston has seen Shaan Patel walk on, and will see two more freshmen join before the summer.
Those two are Mason Holtzclaw from Georgia and Brett Holloway from Melissa. Longo seems adamant on Locke being the starter, though.
“I am really excited about our walk-on in Shawn Patel. We have Brett Holloway from Melissa and Mason Holcotwz from Georgia,” Longo said. “The room changes drastically in May, and I’m looking forward to getting them all in the room.”
While the quarterback situation will likely take all summer and spring to settle, the bigger question will be the offensive line blocking for whoever is under center.
Sam Houston’s O-Line allowed 36 sacks in 12 games, which ranked 122nd out of 134 FBS teams. The Bearkats ranked 97th in rushing offense, with 131.9 yards per game on 371 attempts.
As a whole, the Bearkats collected 200 first downs, which ranked 125th as the offense averaged 316 yards per game. That 316 number ranked 119th in college football with Longo as the playcaller.
Redshirt junior Brock Stukes and junior Isaac Sohn have made themselves the standouts in the room. Stukes appears to be the starting center for this team, while Sohn brings the second year of Longo’s scheme and can be shifted on the line.
“On the offensive side of the ball, you are only going to be as good as your offensive line,” Longo said. “We can have all the skill and talent, but if we can’t protect or open holes, it doesn’t matter. That room is drastically different. Sohn and Brock Stukes have emerged as the leaders and were our two most consistent. Offensively, we enjoyed better execution from that room than we have in the past.”
Sam Houston’s defense got longer in the secondary, and one thing Longo took away was that it would help their offense get better. Northwestern State transfer Caesar Magee and Elon transfer Ishmel Atkins were two names Longo mentioned. In the spring game, Atkins was locked on Kyan Berry-Johnson and took away a couple of touchdowns in coverage.
“They make things hard because they are taller and rangier. For our receivers to get better, they have to work their tail off. It’s hard to find corners with speed.” Longo said. “They present problems because of their range.”