2026 Football Roster
Jersey Number 4
Katin Houser
- Position:
- QB
- Class:
- Fifth Year
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 225
- Major:
- Health Communication
- Hometown:
- Anaheim, Calif.
- High School:
- St. John Bosco
- Prev School:
- East Carolina
Pronunciation: KATE-inn HOW-zer
2026 - Illinois
- Team Captain
- Among active FBS QBs, ranks tied for 12th in career starts (30), 13th in career passing yards (7,459), and 18th in career passing touchdowns (52)
- Enters Week 5 vs. Purdue ranked fourth in the nation in ESPN's Total QBR metric (89.6) behind only Darian Mensah (Miami), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), and Gunner Stockton (Georgia)
- Top 10 in the Big Ten in: passing TDs (5th, 9); passing yards (6th, 1,021); passing yards per game (7th, 255.3); completions per game (7th, 20.25); total offense (7th, 271.3); passing efficiency (8th, 163.1); completion percentage (8th, 68.6%); and yards per attempt (9th, 8.65)
- 305 yards and two TDs vs. SIU (9/19/26), his seventh-career 300-yard passing game (first at Illinois)
- 224.6 passer rating vs. UAB (9/3/26), the eighth-best mark in a game in program history and the best ever in an Illini debut
- Responsible for four total touchdowns in debut vs. UAB - three passing and one rushing - for his sixth-career four TD game and first at Illinois
- Signed with Illinois on Jan. 4, 2026
- Ranked as the #141 overall transfer and #19 transfer quarterback by 247Sports
2025 - East Carolina
- Started all 12 regular season games, leading ECU to an 8-4 record
- Threw for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns (six interceptions) with a 65.9 completion percentage (269/408) on the season
- 146.3 passing efficiency rating on the season
- Rushed for 193 yards on 85 carries (2.3 yards per carry) with nine rushing touchdowns on the season
- Manning Award Watch List
2024 - East Carolina
- Played in nine games with seven starts at quarterback
- Threw for 2,006 yards and 18 touchdowns (11 interceptions) with a 60.8 completion percentage (149/245) on the season
- 144.9 passing efficiency rating on the season
- Rushed for 170 yards on 49 carries (3.5 yards per carry) with four rushing touchdowns on the season
- 2,176 all-purpose yards and averaged 241.8 yards of total offense per game
- First start for ECU came at Army (10/19/24), where he threw for 282 yards on 24-of-28 passing with three touchdowns
- After taking over the starting job, guided the team to a 5-2 record which included a 26-21 win over North Carolina State in the Go Bowling Military Bowl
- Two 5-TD passing games against Temple (10/26/24) and Florida Atlantic (11/7/24) in consecutive games
- • Third QB in ECU history throwing five touchdowns in consecutive games
- Davey O’Brien Great 8, Manning Star of the Week, and American Offensive Player of the Week following Florida Atlantic game
- American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team
2023 - Michigan State
- Played in 11 games with seven starts at quarterback
- Threw for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns (five interceptions) with a 59.0 completion percentage (112/191)
- Started and led Michigan State to victories over Nebraska (11/4/23) and Indiana (11/18/23)
- Threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns against Indiana
2022 - Michigan State
- Redshirted
- Played in one game
- Made collegiate debut with six snaps against Akron
High School
- Consensus four-star recruit
- Elite 11 finalist
- Ranked one of the top overall players in the nation by Rivals (#140), 247Sports (#212), and On3 (#251)
- Ranked one of the best quarterback prospects in the nation by Rivals (#11 pro-style), 247Sports (#12), On3 (#15), and ESPN (#18 pocket passer)
- Completed 65 percent of his passes (92/142) for 1,408 yards and 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions in his first 11 games of the season while sharing time at quarterback as a senior
- Helped St. John Bosco to a 10-2 overall record and a #7 national ranking by MaxPreps
- Transferred to St. John Bosco in California for his final two seasons after playing at Liberty High School in Nevada
Personal
- Born Feb. 23, 2004
- Son of John and Erica Houser
- Graduated from East Carolina University in December of 2025 with a degree in economics
- Majoring in health communication
Sunday, October 04
Monday, September 28
Monday, September 28
Saturday, September 26
