Former MSU QB Houser to Face Spartans at New School
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Players facing their former teams used to be a rarity in college sports. Transferring in general was rare. Nowadays, switching schools once or twice is as normal as staying with one school.
The transfer portal is going to lead to something a little interesting happening in East Lansing next fall. Former Michigan State quarterback Katin Houser is now transferring to Illinois after spending a couple of years as the starter at East Carolina. The Fighting Illini, who were in the market for a transfer QB with Luke Altmyer being out of eligibility, are slated to play at Spartan Stadium during the 2026 season. Date and time are currently TBA, but this game has been on the books ever since October 2023, when Houser was at MSU.
Last Ride. Let’s get to work!! I-L-L🔶🔷 pic.twitter.com/Cg2FEJOwGE
— Katin Houser (@katinhouser) January 5, 2026
Calling it a "revenge game" for Houser might be a little intellectually dishonest. If he were to have any issue with somebody, it may be with Jonathan Smith, who essentially chose Aidan Chiles over both him and Sam Leavitt (who is also in the portal right now). Smith, of course, has been fired. Pat Fitzgerald had nothing to do with Michigan State's quarterback situation following the 2023 season.
Houser announced that he would enter the transfer portal two days after Smith was hired and a few weeks before Chiles committed to MSU, though the Spartans were a big favorite the moment Chiles entered the portal.
Athletes at this level are still hyper-competitive, though. If you were Houser, wouldn't you like to make Michigan State fans wonder how things would be if you never left? That's the type of feeling Houser might seek to invoke once he returns to his first school.
More on Houser's Career
Houser came to Michigan State as a highly regarded quarterback recruit. He finished as a four-star prospect in the 2022 class, ranked 215th overall on the 247Sports Composite. That placed him 14th among quarterbacks.
The Anaheim, Calif. native redshirted during his true freshman year in East Lansing as Payton Thorne started. Once Thorne transferred to Auburn, that started an internal quarterback competition for the 2023 season between Noah Kim, Leavitt, and Houser. Kim initially won the job, but Houser became QB1 during the fifth game of the season, which was against Rutgers. He finished with 1,130 passing yards and six touchdowns to five interceptions during that redshirt freshman season.
Houser actually initially lost another quarterback battle at East Carolina. The job went to Jake Garcia, but he, too, was benched. Houser took advantage, taking the job permanently.
This past fall was his first time being a wire-to-wire starter. He ended up throwing for 3,300 passing yards (18th in the FBS) with 19 touchdowns to six interceptions. Houser's play has been good enough to earn him a spot back in the Big Ten ranks for one last year of eligibility.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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