2014–2026 performance history

Sam Houston over time

Season-by-season offense and defense game grades, with head-coaching changes placed on the timeline.

Conference USAHead coach: Phil LongoView Sam Houston games →
Offense · 2026 estimate17.2/100

20.4 average through 1 game

16.9 prior · 8 equivalent games
Defense · 2026 estimate17.4/100

28.2 average through 1 game

16.2 prior · 8 equivalent games

The trajectory

Game and Season Unit Ratings

Each small dot is one offensive or defensive game rating, arranged in the order played. For completed seasons, the short bar is that season’s average game rating. Both dot and bar values are labeled on a percentile scale. For 2026, the bar is the Bayesian estimate, while the outlined circle is the empirical games-only mean. Labeled background bands show each head coach’s era.

Sam Houston individual offense and defense game grades by seasonEach small point is one game. Horizontal bars show completed-season means and the Bayesian estimate for 2026. The outlined 2026 circle is the empirical games-only mean. Alternating labeled bands identify head-coaching eras.Keeler · ’23–’24K.C. Keeler, 2023–2024Longo · ’25–’26Phil Longo, 2025–2026offenseGame-grade percentile · higher is better9975502512023 Week 1: Sam Houston at BYU · L 0–14; offense 2.0 percentile2023 Week 2: Sam Houston vs. Air Force · L 3–13; offense 2.6 percentile2023 Week 4: Sam Houston at Houston · L 7–38; offense 2.1 percentile2023 Week 5: Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State · L 28–35; offense 43.2 percentile2023 Week 6: Sam Houston at Liberty · L 16–21; offense 22.0 percentile2023 Week 7: Sam Houston at New Mexico State · L 13–27; offense 9.2 percentile2023 Week 9: Sam Houston vs. UTEP · L 34–37; offense 44.8 percentile2023 Week 10: Sam Houston vs. Kennesaw State · W 24–21; offense 10.6 percentile2023 Week 11: Sam Houston at Louisiana Tech · W 42–27; offense 65.1 percentile2023 Week 12: Sam Houston at Western Kentucky · L 23–28; offense 15.7 percentile2023 Week 13: Sam Houston vs. Middle Tennessee · W 23–20; offense 11.1 percentile2024 Week 1: Sam Houston at Rice · W 34–14; offense 79.7 percentile2024 Week 2: Sam Houston at UCF · L 14–45; offense 22.5 percentile2024 Week 3: Sam Houston vs. Hawai'i · W 31–13; offense 76.1 percentile2024 Week 5: Sam Houston vs. Texas State · W 40–39; offense 85.2 percentile2024 Week 6: Sam Houston at UTEP · W 41–21; offense 80.4 percentile2024 Week 8: Sam Houston vs. Western Kentucky · L 14–31; offense 42.6 percentile2024 Week 9: Sam Houston vs. Florida International · W 10–7; offense 4.0 percentile2024 Week 10: Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech · W 9–3; offense 32.5 percentile2024 Week 12: Sam Houston at Kennesaw State · W 23–17; offense 25.6 percentile2024 Week 13: Sam Houston at Jacksonville State · L 11–21; offense 36.1 percentile2024 Week 14: Sam Houston vs. Liberty · W 20–18; offense 18.2 percentile2024 Week 1: Sam Houston vs. Georgia Southern · W 31–26; offense 7.6 percentile2025 Week 1: Sam Houston at Western Kentucky · L 24–41; offense 23.5 percentile2025 Week 2: Sam Houston at Hawai'i · L 20–37; offense 13.9 percentile2025 Week 4: Sam Houston at Texas · L 0–55; offense 0.4 percentile2025 Week 6: Sam Houston at New Mexico State · L 10–37; offense 17.1 percentile2025 Week 7: Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State · L 27–29; offense 25.0 percentile2025 Week 8: Sam Houston vs. UTEP · L 17–35; offense 28.1 percentile2025 Week 10: Sam Houston at Louisiana Tech · L 14–55; offense 63.0 percentile2025 Week 11: Sam Houston at Oregon State · W 21–17; offense 3.2 percentile2025 Week 12: Sam Houston vs. Delaware · W 26–23; offense 20.7 percentile2025 Week 13: Sam Houston at Middle Tennessee · L 17–31; offense 16.8 percentile2025 Week 14: Sam Houston vs. Florida International · L 16–56; offense 28.4 percentile2026 Week 1: Sam Houston at Troy · L 21–24; offense 20.5 percentile2023 offense season mean: 14.7 percentile2024 offense season mean: 39.9 percentile2025 offense season mean: 16.9 percentile2026 offense Bayesian estimate: 17.2 percentile2026 offense empirical mean: 20.4 percentiledefenseGame-grade percentile · higher is better9975502512023 Week 1: Sam Houston at BYU · L 0–14; defense 70.7 percentile2023 Week 2: Sam Houston vs. Air Force · L 3–13; defense 87.7 percentile2023 Week 4: Sam Houston at Houston · L 7–38; defense 8.0 percentile2023 Week 5: Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State · L 28–35; defense 57.2 percentile2023 Week 6: Sam Houston at Liberty · L 16–21; defense 86.2 percentile2023 Week 7: Sam Houston at New Mexico State · L 13–27; defense 75.0 percentile2023 Week 9: Sam Houston vs. UTEP · L 34–37; defense 2.4 percentile2023 Week 10: Sam Houston vs. Kennesaw State · W 24–21; defense 7.2 percentile2023 Week 11: Sam Houston at Louisiana Tech · W 42–27; defense 42.1 percentile2023 Week 12: Sam Houston at Western Kentucky · L 23–28; defense 34.9 percentile2023 Week 13: Sam Houston vs. Middle Tennessee · W 23–20; defense 53.5 percentile2024 Week 1: Sam Houston at Rice · W 34–14; defense 58.0 percentile2024 Week 2: Sam Houston at UCF · L 14–45; defense 3.3 percentile2024 Week 3: Sam Houston vs. Hawai'i · W 31–13; defense 62.9 percentile2024 Week 5: Sam Houston vs. Texas State · W 40–39; defense 66.2 percentile2024 Week 6: Sam Houston at UTEP · W 41–21; defense 58.3 percentile2024 Week 8: Sam Houston vs. Western Kentucky · L 14–31; defense 12.0 percentile2024 Week 9: Sam Houston vs. Florida International · W 10–7; defense 88.2 percentile2024 Week 10: Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech · W 9–3; defense 65.5 percentile2024 Week 12: Sam Houston at Kennesaw State · W 23–17; defense 70.7 percentile2024 Week 13: Sam Houston at Jacksonville State · L 11–21; defense 63.1 percentile2024 Week 14: Sam Houston vs. Liberty · W 20–18; defense 86.0 percentile2024 Week 1: Sam Houston vs. Georgia Southern · W 31–26; defense 45.3 percentile2025 Week 1: Sam Houston at Western Kentucky · L 24–41; defense 34.0 percentile2025 Week 2: Sam Houston at Hawai'i · L 20–37; defense 47.8 percentile2025 Week 4: Sam Houston at Texas · L 0–55; defense 3.2 percentile2025 Week 6: Sam Houston at New Mexico State · L 10–37; defense 26.6 percentile2025 Week 7: Sam Houston vs. Jacksonville State · L 27–29; defense 59.8 percentile2025 Week 8: Sam Houston vs. UTEP · L 17–35; defense 9.8 percentile2025 Week 10: Sam Houston at Louisiana Tech · L 14–55; defense 0.2 percentile2025 Week 11: Sam Houston at Oregon State · W 21–17; defense 23.1 percentile2025 Week 12: Sam Houston vs. Delaware · W 26–23; defense 45.1 percentile2025 Week 13: Sam Houston at Middle Tennessee · L 17–31; defense 5.2 percentile2025 Week 14: Sam Houston vs. Florida International · L 16–56; defense 7.3 percentile2026 Week 1: Sam Houston at Troy · L 21–24; defense 28.2 percentile2023 defense season mean: 43.9 percentile2024 defense season mean: 55.2 percentile2025 defense season mean: 16.2 percentile2026 defense Bayesian estimate: 17.4 percentile2026 defense empirical mean: 28.2 percentile2014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Individual gameSeason bar · 2026 is the estimate2026 empirical meanCoaching-era band
2024K.C. Keeler / Brad Cornelsen
2025Phil Longo

How to read 2026

The current-season estimate intelligently blends last season with new data.

The 2026 estimate is a Bayesian weighted average of normal-score Z-values. The 2025 season mean counts like 8 games of prior evidence; each completed 2026 game counts once. The result is then translated back to the 0–100 percentile scale.

2026 Z = (8 × 2025 mean Z + games played × 2026 mean Z) ÷ (8 + games played)

Season record

Every annual grade and coach

Retrospective rows average the available single-game grades in normal-score space. The result is shown as a percentile. Roughly speaking, a 95th-percentile season corresponds to about the eighth-best team in a 160-team field.

SeasonHead coachGamesOffenseDefense
2026Live estimatePhil Longo1
17.2 estimate20.4 games-only average
17.4 estimate28.2 games-only average
2025Phil LongoCoaching change1116.916.2
2024K.C. Keeler / Brad CornelsenCoaching change1239.955.2
2023K.C. Keeler1114.743.9