Bearkat Bites: Odds And Ends As 'Kats Open Spring Camp
Let's catch up on a few developments in Huntsville
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Bearkats Round Out Coaching Staff
I have been away the past month on marriage leave and as she and I catch up on things, let’s also catch up here with some Bearkat odds and ends. First up, we have a handful of new coaching faces.
DOVONTE EDWARDS
Sam Houston head coach Phil Longo brings in another guy with ties to the state of North Carolina. Before coming to Huntsville, Edwards was a defensive coach at Elon and NC Central before that. He will serve the ‘Kats as Pass Game Coordinator and Safeties Coach. Edwards also played in the NFL, intercepting Brett Favre for a pick six in a 2005 Monday Night Football game while Edwards was member of the Minnesota Vikings.
ERIC RAISBECK
This is one of those secretly sneaky important hires to observe this season. Raisbeck will serve as Special Teams Coordinator and Slot Receivers Coach, but it’s the latter that is worth keeping an eye on. There is a lot of room for improvement for that group and Raisbeck seems to have the experience to help squeeze it out of them. He served as assistant special teams coach at Wisconsin during Phil Longo’s final season there (hence the familiarity and connection!) and had coached football in Switzerland and Norway prior to that. He’s probably one of the most unique coaches on the ‘Kat’s new staff.
DAMIEN ADAMS
Our final name is new Defensive Line Coach Damien Adams. Adams joins the Bearkats from Campbell (also in North Carolina!) where he served in the same role in addition to general manager. The Camels of Campbell posted solid defenses during his eleven years with the program. Consistent results from new faces each year will be the norm going forward for Sam Houston, so this could be a solid hire.
Bearkats open Spring practice
Who will be the signal caller?
Sam Houston has an interesting mix in the quarterback room. Hunter Watson is still here, but he will face stiff competition to keep his starting position with Mabrey Mettauer, Jax Brown, and Landyn Locker, and DJ Bailey all in the mix for the job. The “who will start at QB” storyline is always an main focus in spring, but this year feels even bigger, given the new offensive philosophy from new head coach Phil Longo. Will he opt for Watson and slowly add his air raid concepts? Or do a complete tear down with a new guy under center?
Who are the new stars on defense?
It’s been well documented that the Bearkats lost every leading tackler from its 2024 roster. The departure of such a stellar defense can frustrating but it also opens up a world of opportunities for new faces and gamechangers to emerge. Specifically, I want to see how the new safeties look under FAL’s defensive scheme. The ‘Kats relied on guys like Caleb Weaver to defend in space as well as come down for run support. Sam brought in several new guys to try to replace Weaver. I want to see how well they handle being a Swiss army knife on the field.
New Look O-Line?
Minus the loss of center Ethan Hagler to the NFL Draft, the offensive line for Sam Houston remains mostly intact from a year ago, serving as the most stable position group from 2024. So why do I say there could be a new look? KC Keeler’s offensive gameplan from last season involved the guys up front not just blocking, but getting a push in order to open holes from the running game. That push became less effective against the JaxSt’s and WKUs of the world, but perhaps head coach Phil Longo has the solution. If the new coach decides to run more air raid, the the o-line will not have to guard for as long as they did last year. This could allow the linemen to lean more in to the type of blocking they do best. I want to see how Longo incorporates their skills into his schemes.
NFL Numbers for Ife
Bearkat fans, media and NFL scouts alike are absolutely beaming about the Pro Day had by Sam Houston wide receiver Ife Adeyi, and for good reason. The seniors measurement in the broad jump, 40-yard dash and and vertical jump would have all been in the top five of the NFL Scouting Combine last month. There are always a few guys each draft that slip through the cracks and surprise everyone during their rookie season. This could be especially true for a guy like Adeyi, who did not get a lot of opportunities in 2024 to showcase his abilities.
Where will the Bearkats play?
We await with baited breath for Sam Houston’s plan for home games in 2025. Insiders have heard in whispers that Shell Energy Stadium, home to the MLS’s Houston Dynamo, could be a viable option. It’s a beautiful facility and one that Bearkat fans would enjoy going too. The only issue would be finding dates, as Sam Houston would be sharing the stadium with the Dynamo as well as Texas Southerns football team. The midweek October games are doable but the others are more tricky.
My guess would be Sam playing at a mix of stadiums, with home games at NRG Stadium as well as the Dynamo’s place. As a Houston native who hates Houston traffic, geez, can Bowers just reopen already?
Tristan Checks In
A SuperBowl winner graced Huntsville with his pretense this past week. Tristan McCollum stopped by the Sam Houston football offices a little over a month after helping the Philadelphia Eagles take it to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Very cool to see and here’s hoping the new faces with the Bearkats DBs got to hear some insight from one of the best to ever do it at Bowers.
Texans Longsnapper is a #ProKat
The departure of long time Houston Texan John Weeks left a spot open at longsnapper for the team and they have filled it with Tucker Addington. Addington is a former Sam Houston player, appearing in games from 2016-2019. After stints with the Cowboys, Patriots, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Commanders, Addington gets to come a little closer to home at NRG Stadium. We wish Tucker a great season and he officially marks himself as they ONLY reason to like the Texans (#TitanUp!)
