Scouting Sam Houston QB Hunter Watson
Hunter Watson will make his 19th start at quarterback for the Bearkats on Halloween night at Joe Aillet Stadium. In Watson’s last game versus UTEP, the former Arkansas-Monticello and Iowa Western CC signal caller completed 13 of 19 passes for 159 yards and 1 touchdown, earning a 75.8 PFF Grade.
Career Recap
Coming out of Celina, Texas, Hunter Watson chose to commit to Division II program Arkansas-Monticello out of high school. After playing 6 games in two years for the Boll Weavers, Watson transferred to Iowa Western CC, where he would lead his team to a National Championship win while landing on the 2023 NJCAA All-American Second Team. Following his breakout season, Watson transferred to Sam Houston after the Bearkats stumbled to a 3-9 record in their inaugural FBS season. Watson took the starting job in fall camp and never looked back, accounting for over 2,400 total yards and 21 total touchdowns. Sam Houston broke through with an impressive 10-3 record, but longtime coach K.C. Keeler departed for Temple, leading to a mass exodus of key contributors entering 2025.
2025 Statistics
6 GP, 90/149 (60%) for 906 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs, and 305 rushing yards with 2 rushing touchdowns.
For his efforts, Watson has earned a 60.6 PFF grade through 317 snaps this season.
Let’s take a deeper dive into his numbers.
Passing Numbers by Level
At LOS or Behind | 30/34 (88%) for 159 yards, 1 TD & 0 INTs
0-9 Yards Downfield | 42/64 (66%) for 407 yards, 2 TDs & 0 INT
10-19 Yards Downfield | 16/30 (53%) for 301 yards, 0 TDs & 1 INT
20+ Yards Downfield | 2/11 (18%) for 39 yards, 2 TDs & 2 INT
Passing Pressure
Kept Clean | 77/111 (69%) for 791 yards, 4 TDs & 2 INTs
Under Pressure | 13/38 (34%) for 115 yards, 1 TD & 1 INT
Not Blitzed | 68/103 (66%) for 672 yards, 2 TDs & 1 INT
When Blitzed | 22/46 (48%) for 234 yards, 3 TDs & 2 INTs
Phil Longo’s Return and Watson’s Top Targets
After Keeler’s departure to Temple, Sam Houston made the questionable decision to hire fired Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo. From 2014-2016, Longo did serve as the offensive coordinator for the Bearkats, but Longo’s premier days of calling a dynamic offense appeared to be over after his attempt to make the Badgers an air raid offense dramatically failed. Watson excelled as a dual threat quarterback in 2024, so the major shift in offensive philosophy would test his ability to be truly versatile.
So far this season, two out of Sam Houston’s four leaders in receiving yards are running backs. This included team-leader Landan Brown with 166 yards and backup running back Elijah Green with 133 yards and 1 touchdown.
As a team, the Bearkats have six players with over 100 receiving yards, but do not have a single player with over 200 receiving yards.
