Bearkat Bites: Ranking The Road Trips
If you could attend ONE Sam Houston football road game in 2025 (non-Hawaii!), which would it be?
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Where Would YOU Go See The ‘Kats (and don’t say Hawaii!)
Now that we have the 2025 Sam Houston football schedule in hand, it’s time to make some roadie plans! (see the above paragraph for how YOU can help us make it out to some of the road trips to cover your ‘Kats the way YOU deserve to have them covered).
But which game to go too? I decided to put on my travel agent hat and rank the seven road trips from most MEH to most YEAH! Do you agree with my list?
7. @LaTech Tuesday, October 28
I am intrigued by this LaTech team this year. I am not intrigued by having to drive or fly to anything that takes place on a Tuesday night in rural Louisiana. Ruston, LA, I am sure, has it’s nice parts, but nothing worth making the effort to go see.
6. @NM State Thursday, October 2
The game itself takes points off of this destination. NM State won’t be expected to do much, and who really wants to see them on a random weeknight in the fall? But the scenery around Las Cruces is pretty and different enough with the mountains and arid atmosphere to make it a nice change of pace from East Texas.
5. @Oregon St. Saturday, November 8
I won’t lie to you, reader, it is haul getting to Corvallis, OR. Best option I could say to you is land in Portland or Seattle, and make the drive, as I did back in 2021. But like a lot of Oregon, there is underrated scenery all around you. And since the game happens in November, you can head outside and take a look at the incredible fall foliage after watching the Bearkats bash the Beavers.
4. @Middle Tennessee Saturday, November 22
There is a hint of buzz for Derek Mason in his second year in Murfreesboro so that makes it a fun game for Sam Houston fans. The close proximity to Nashville makes it even better.
3. @WKU Saturday, August 23
The game marking the start of the Phil Longo era against the CUSA runner-up. Mix that in with a trip to the nearby Corvette Museum and a visit to Bowling Green, KY could quietly be a nice end of summer tour for a die-hard Bearkat fan.
2. @Texas Saturday, September 27
The early phases of the Arch Manning era in Austin will be the headline for this game. Many people make their way to the State Capitol throughout the year, but it’s always fun to grab a live show and a few cold ones while soaking in the ATX vibes.
1. @Hawaii Saturday, September 6
It’s Hawaii….it’s the beach, and year around sun combined with seeing the Bearkats. What’s understood doesn’t have to be said.
Bearkats Announce New Coaches
There are a few new coaches to chew on and think about as Sam Houston announced additions to new head coach Phil Longo’s inaugural staff. The signing of DC Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay (who, for brevity’s sake, we will refer too as FAL) is now official. We told a great story about his hidden connection to Longo here.
Next up is Gary McGraw, who will be the Bearkats’ cornerbacks coach. It shouldn’t be too hard for McGraw to get used to Huntsville. He was there from 2016-2022, playing a direct hand in the development of Zyon McCollum, who is now a starter for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was at Jenks HS in Oklahoma last year, where a few of the new Bearkats hail from.
Meanwhile, Issac Mooring joins the staff as edges coach, which basically means he will be coaching the DEs and LBs who they use as down linemen at times. Mooring was a defensive staffer at Texas last season but was the defensive line coach at Texas State from 2017-2018. His playing days were at North Carolina, where he played alongside Hall of Famer Julius Peppers.
Over on offense, say hello to AJ Hoop, the new offensive line coach who joins the Bearkats’ staff from Southeast Louisiana (SELA). During his time there, Hoop helped SELA finish with a 6-1 conference record in the Southland. Prior to that, he spent time in the SEC as a staffer at Mississippi and coached at Houston in 2017, so he does have inroads locally. Notably, he played his college ball at Slippery Rock when Phil Longo was there as receivers coach and OC.
There is also a new strength and conditioning coach by the name of Blair Vaughan. Vaughan joins the ‘Kats from Arizona where he was Associate Head Strength and Coach (that’s a mouthful of a title). He was also a player for conference rival WKU football, helping them to 3 straight bowl victories from 2014-2016.
Rival of Sam Houston Needs a New DC
UTEP is in the market for a new defensive coordinator after the departure of JJ Clark, who left this week to become assistant linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys. The move means the Miners must now go in to 2025 with two new coordinators. Jake Brown resigned as their OC last December and has left the profession of coaching. Matt Cala, formerly of TCU is their new OC, so we wait with baited breath on the DC hire.