The 2021 Sam Houston Bearkats football team represented

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

in the

2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season The 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. After the prior ...

as a member of the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

. The Bearkats were led by eighth-year head coach

K. C. Keeler Kurt Charles Keeler (born July 26, 1959) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Temple University. Keeler has been the head coach at Sam Houston State University from 2014 to 2024; the University of Dela ...

and played their home games at

Bowers Stadium Elliott T. Bowers Stadium is a 14,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Huntsville, Texas. The stadium has been home to the Sam Houston State University Sam Houston Bearkats football team since 1986. Previously, the team played their homes games at ...

. The Western Athletic Conference and

ASUN Conference The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Division I FCS level in 2022. ...

announced the formation of the WAC–ASUN Challenge (AQ7) for the 2021 season on February 23, 2021. The Challenge included the four fully qualified Division I (FCS) members of the WAC ( Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston , and Stephen F. Austin) and

Central Arkansas Central Arkansas, also known as the Little Rock metro, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state ...

Eastern Kentucky Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

, and Jacksonville State of the ASUN Conference. The winner of the challenge received an auto-bid to the NCAA Division I FCS football playoffs.

Preseason

Preseason polls

WAC Poll

The Western Athletic Conference coaches released their preseason poll on July 27, 2021. The Bearkats were picked to finish first in the conference. In addition, several Bearkats were selected to the preseason WAC Offense, Defense, and Special teams. Eric Schmid was selected preseason offensive player of the year. Jahari Kay was selected defensive player of the year. * Note: Dixie State is not included since they are not playing a full WAC schedule due to previous non-conference game contracts. Dixie State players are eligible for individual rewards.

Preseason All–WAC Team

Offense *Eric Schmid – Quarterback, JR *Ramon Jefferson – Running back, JR *Ramon Jefferson – Running back, JR *Jequez Ezzard – Wide receiver, GR *Isaac Schley – Tight end, GR *Eleasah Anderson – Offensive lineman, JR *Prince Pines – Offensive lineman, SO *Colby Thomas – Offensive lineman, SR Defense *Jahari Kay – Defensive lineman, SR *Trace Mascorro – Defensive lineman, SR *Joseph Wallace – Defensive lineman, SR *Quentin Brown – Linebacker, JR *Trevor Williams – Linebacker, JR * Zyon McCollum – Defensive back, SR *Jalen Thomas – Defensive back, SR Special teams *Seth Morgan – Kicker, FR *Matt McRobert – Punter, SR *Jequez Ezzard – Kick Returner, GR

AQ7 Poll

The AQ7 coaches also released their preseason poll on July 27, 2021. The Bearkats were picked to finish first in the ASUN-WAC Challenge.

Roster

Schedule

Game summaries

At Northern Arizona

Statistics

Southeast Missouri State

At No. 25 Central Arkansas

Vs. Stephen F. Austin

Lamar

Statistics

Jacksonville State

At Tarleton State

Dixie State

Eastern Kentucky

At Abilene Christian

Players drafted into the NFL

References

{{Western Athletic Conference football champions

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

Sam Houston Bearkats football seasons Western Athletic Conference football champion seasons 2021 NCAA Division I FCS playoff participants

Sam Houston Bearkats football The Sam Houston Bearkats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Sam Houston State University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of ...