Division I · Conference USA
Sam Houston State University Football
Huntsville, TX · the Bearkats · Sam Houston State University overview
127
Roster
22 over the D-I cap of 105
$9.7M
Team budget
51st percentile in Division I
$76,693
Per roster spot
median $79,762
15
Coaches
1 head · 14 assistant
936
APR
93% of players retained
85%
Admitted
lower half for selectivity
Sam Houston State University fields a football team in the Conference USA (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 127 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 14 assistants. Team expenses were $9,740,021, about the median of $9.1M — $76,693 per roster spot, lower half of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 22 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 936, about the median of 964, with 93% of players retained year to year. The school gave $3,830,678 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $13,118 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#128Team budgetof 261 · Division I#136Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#60Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#236APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster127 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 22 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 14 assistant
- Team expenses$9,740,021 for the year
- Operating expenses$2,363,291 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$76,693 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate936 multi-year; 924 latest
- Players retained93% year to year
- Eligible92% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$3,830,678 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$13,118 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$146,374 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Longo head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Sam Houston State University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →18,179undergraduates · 21,403 students in all
Women 64% Men 36%
- Setting
- Town
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →85%admitted · of 17,582 applicants
SAT middle 50%940 – 1140
ACT middle 50%19 – 25
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 55%
Football
Full picture →127on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105127
22 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate936
93% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $9,740,021 $76,693 per roster spot · upper half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 14 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $3,830,678
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $146,374
Cost
Full picture →$14,556net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $9,228 in-state · $19,020 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.82violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 19 burglaries · 35 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 7 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →20%of bachelor's degrees in criminal justice & protective services · 24 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Sam Houston State University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program127 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions85% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$14,556 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsCriminal justice & protective services · 20%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusTown · 18,179Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.82 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M University, College Station Division I · Southeastern Conference | 47 | 146 | $60M | 965 | 63% | |
| Prairie View A&M University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 50 | 101 | $3.6M | 910 | 75% | |
| Rice University Division I · American Conference | 69 | 123 | $20M | 986 | 8% | |
| Texas Southern University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 70 | 120 | $2.8M | 950 | 93% | |
| University of Houston Division I · Big 12 Conference | 70 | 119 | $23M | 961 | 70% | |
| Houston Christian University Division I · Southland Conference | 71 | 119 | $5.9M | 964 | 85% | |
| Stephen F. Austin State University Division I · Southland Conference | 82 | 140 | $5.5M | 894 | 88% | |
| Lamar University Division I · Southland Conference | 99 | 119 | $5.6M | 939 | 86% | |
| Baylor University Division I · Big 12 Conference | 109 | 118 | $41M | 974 | 51% | |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Division III · American Southwest Conference | 116 | 167 | $1.5M | — | 95% | |
| Southwestern University (Texas) Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 126 | 95 | $892k | — | 39% | |
| University of Texas at Austin Division I · Southeastern Conference | 134 | 118 | $70M | 974 | 29% |
Other football programs in the Conference USA
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty University 12 over cap | 117 | $23M | $196,278 | 957 | vs | |
| Jacksonville State University 53 over cap | 158 | $15M | $94,929 | 961 | vs | |
| Middle Tennessee State University 44 over cap | 149 | $13M | $89,244 | 985 | vs | |
| Florida International University 9 over cap | 114 | $13M | $112,586 | 968 | vs | |
| New Mexico State University 44 over cap | 149 | $12M | $79,055 | 956 | vs | |
| Kennesaw State University 15 over cap | 120 | $11M | $95,796 | 949 | vs | |
| Western Kentucky University 7 over cap | 112 | $11M | $98,573 | 962 | vs | |
| University of Delaware 5 over cap | 110 | $10M | $92,061 | 958 | vs | |
| Sam Houston State University 22 over cap | 127 | $9.7M | $76,693 | 936 | vs | |
| Missouri State University room for 6 | 99 | $6.6M | $66,242 | 971 | vs |
Every Conference USA football program · Football budgets ranked