Illinois' Barry Lunney Jr. Reveals What He Has Seen From Katin Houser

It has been four years since a quarterback not named Luke Altmyer entered a season as the starter under center for Illinois. A month from now, that will change. With Altmyer having exhausted his college eligibility and trundled off to the NFL, the Illini are entering a new era – one whose destiny hinges heavily upon the new QB1: East Carolina transfer Katin Houser.

Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. on Katin Houser: 'Incredible'

“Well, he just proved to me that he knows how to play and he presents plays, practices like a guy that’s played football – and a lot of it,” Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said of Houser on Tuesday.

“That’s what I learned about him. And that’s nothing really profound, but it’s good to see and good to know, because I think we got a guy in here that understands his role. He understands his responsibility of being the quarterback at University of Illinois. He takes that very seriously. He’s very driven. He relates to his teammates well. He’s got an incredible mind and incredible work ethic, and he’s tough. There’s a lot of great qualities.

“There’s no perfect player. There’s no such thing as a perfect player. And so does he have things that we’re working on and trying to improve? Absolutely. And he attacks those on a daily basis. [Quarterbacks coach] Art [Sitkowski] has done a phenomenal job with him, and with the help of [passing game coordinator] Mike Neu.

“He’s the leader of our team, and I think our guys see that and it came about real organically for him. And I think that’s only going to strengthen when he gets to game time and he goes out and plays well, and so I’m excited to see that."

Moral of the story: Houser is a quarterback's quarterback. Arm talent, pocket awareness, mobility – all of that is important. But if they aren't accompanied by certain intangibles, the rest is sort of window dressing. Seemingly, Houser has all of the intangibles.

It’s crystal clear that he’s intelligent and driven. Also, his teammates appear to view him not just as the team's leader by default but, more importantly, a guy worth following. Quarterbacks set the precedent for a whole football team – and Houser seems to be setting an excellent one.

None of this should come as a great shock. Houser has played four seasons of college football, appeared in 34 career games and thrown for 6,438 yards and 43 touchdowns. He certainly doesn't lack for experience.

As for physical ability, just turn on the tape. Houser can make the back-shoulder throw; he can fit the ball into a nearly painted-shut window between a linebacker and safety on a crossing pattern; he can toss the 50-yard deep ball and hit a receiver in stride; he can make throws on the run; and he can pull the ball down and use his powerful 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame to bulldoze defenders in the red zone.

The only question: How quickly can he become one with the Illini scheme? All signs – none more than his football IQ and work ethic – point to that feat being accomplished sooner rather than later.

Add us as a preferred source on Google