Brian Bates Jr. holds the WLB · Starter spot in Sam Houston Bearkats’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Brian Bates Jr. is a 6'1", 230-pound weakside linebacker from Centreville, Virginia, who attended DeMatha Catholic High School. He played college football at Delaware State before transferring to Sam Houston. In 2025, Bates appeared in 12 games for the Hornets, recording 80 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks while forcing and recovering a fumble. He earned First Team All-MEAC honors and HBCU All-America recognition. His season high came against Monmouth on 10/4 with 12 tackles. In 2024, he logged 36 tackles across 12 games with 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Bates is now a redshirt junior transfer with Sam Houston.

Charlottethrough 2023

Delaware State2024 – 2025

Sam Houston2026 — present