Sam Houston Bearcats:
The Bearkats are ready for an impactful 2024 football season under the seasoned leadership of head coach K.C. Keeler. Following a transitional 2023 season, the Bearkats are hoping to make significant strides in Conference USA with a mix of returning talent and key newcomers in Year 2 of FBS membership.
This was a team that seemed to adjust to life as an FBS member rather well. After starting the season with eight straight losses, the Bearkats won three of their final four games to go into the offseason with a little bit of momentum.
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Offense
Grant Gunnell, a graduate transfer, brings a wealth of experience from previous stints at Arizona, Memphis, and North Texas. He couldn’t beat out incumbent Keegan Shoemaker last season, but got a feel for the offense with 22 pass attempts. Competing for snaps is Jase Bauer, a redshirt junior from Central Michigan known for his dual-threat capabilities, providing depth at the quarterback position.
The backfield features John Gentry, a junior transfer who showcased his versatility with 600 all-purpose yards last season. Unfortunately, Gentry also only had 3.3 yards per carry, as the Bearkats saw a leader with 391 yards and had just 2.9 yards per carry. Only five teams had fewer rushing yards. The receiving corps is led by Noah Smith, a redshirt senior who emerged as a reliable target with 783 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2023.
Defense
Better offense would help the defense. SHSU had 4.58 yards per play last season to rank 127th. They played at a very slow pace and actually finished +4 in turnover margin, but the defense was simply lacking negative plays. The Bearkats had 17 sacks for just 93 yards. They only had 55 tackles for loss.
On the whole, the Bearkats were weak in the trenches. That isn’t something that changes overnight with the transition from FCS to FBS and depth is always a concern for those teams that now have more scholarships and resources available.
Outlook
The 2024 season could be a turning point for Sam Houston State. With Gunnell’s seasoned arm leading the offense, supported by a deep backfield and a dynamic receiving corps, the Bearkats have the potential to take a step forward offensively, which is what held them back in most close games last year. The T Shoe Index projects Sam Houston in the middle of the pack in Conference USA, with the second-to-worst offense and the third-best defense. TSI indicated that the ‘Kats should be between 4 and 5 wins (4.6), right in line with the DraftKings odds.
Pick: Under 4.5 Wins
