Could Katin Houser Be A Fit for Virginia Tech at Quarterback?

Houser played for the last two seasons at East Carolina.

Oct 16, 2025; Greenville, N.C.; East Carolina quarterback Katin Houser (4) runs with the ball against Tulsa. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech football is on the search for its new starting quarterback. Kyron Drones is out of eligibility following his redshirt senior campaign in 2025; consequently, the Hokies now turn to either their internal pool or a far more likely proposition: the transfer portal. One option that could be an intriguing choice for the Hokies is East Carolina transfer Katin Houser.

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— Katin Houser (@katinhouser) December 16, 2025

Houser, a redshirt senior entering the 2026 campaign, will have one year of eligibility remaining, enabling him to play out the 2026 campaign for whatever school he transfers to.

"After thoughtful conversations with my family, I've decided to enter the transfer portal for my final season of college football," Houser said in a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account. "I'm incredible grateful to Coach Harrell, my teammates and the entire ECU staff for the past two years. The support, time and commitment they've poured into me have played a huge role in who I am today, both on and off the field. My time in Greenville and the memories I made are some of the best, and I've cherished every moment. I'll forever be a Pirate."

Some statistics:

Coming out of high school in 2022, Houser was a four-star recruit, given a 92 overall rating by 247Sports. Houser was ranked as the No. 225 recruit in the nation, the No. 11 overall quarterback and the No. 19 recruit from California.

Houser entered the collegiate ranks with Michigan State in 2022, taking a redshirt in his true freshman year and sitting behind Peyton Thorne. In 2023, Houser split time with Noah Kim as the starter. In that time, Houser started seven games, tallying a 2-5 record as the starter. House completed 112 of 191 (58.6%) passes for six touchdowns and five interceptions. In his seven-game stretch as the starter, Michigan State lost its first three games as Houser got acclimated to college ball. In those three games — a 27-24 loss to Rutgers, a 49-0 drubbing at the hands of then-No. 2 Michigan and a 27-12 defeat by Minnesota — Houser delivered passing numbers of 133, 101 and 117 yards. Houser then delivered a then-career high 165 passing yards in a 20-17 victory over Nebraska.

Michigan State then backslid, however, losing two of its final three games, albeit to then-No. 1 Ohio State (38-3) and then-No. 11 Penn State. Houser threw for 92 yards against the top-ranked Buckeyes and 87 yards against the Nittany Lions, tallying a combined 43 pass attempts across the two games. However, Houser was solid in the Spartans' penultimate contest, a 24-21 victory over Indiana where Houser delivered 277 passing yards, three touchdowns and two picks. Following the season, Houser then transferred to East Carolina.

Now with the Pirates in 2024, Houser again started seven games, this time going 5-2 as the starter and taking over midway through for incumbent Jake Garcia. Across the campaign, he built on his 2023 stats improving from a 6-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2023 to a 18-to-11 split in 2024. Houser completed 149 of his 245 (60.8%) passes for 2,006 yards, also accumulating 170 rushing yards and four touchdowns and 49 carries.

Houser's efforts were solid in the American Athletic Conference; the quarterback threw for over 210 yards in every regular season game but one with over five pass attempts. Houser suffered three losses in his time that season: the first was to Charlotte where Garcia was yanked midway through for Houser. Houser went 11-for-28 for 84 yards, no touchdowns and a pick as Charlotte, anchored by 311 rushing yards, steamrolled the Pirates, 55-24.

The second loss came the following week to then-No. 23 Army, a 45-28 defeat where Houser threw for 282 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. East Carolina won its next four games before stumbling to Navy, 34-20, to close its regular season. The Pirates bounced back, however, taking down NC State in the 2024 Military Bowl, 26-21. That day, Houser notched 147 passing yards despite throwing no touchdowns and two picks; on the ground, he was effective, tallying 84 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

Houser's 3,300 passing yards ranks No. 16 in the nation at the time of writing, though he has elected to opt out of the Military Bowl vs. Pitt. After 10 games, Houser's 23.1 completions per game at the time ranked No. 9 in the nation. Houser tallied at least 180 yards in every contest he played and dipped below 200 yards on just one occasion: a 26-19 loss to Tulane (180 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions). Across the season, Hauser threw for 19 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Now entering the 2026 campaign as a redshirt senior, Houser is the 64th overall ranked player in this year's transfer portal class and is the 11th-ranked quarterback, sporting a three-star transfer rating of 88.

My thoughts:

After three seasons of adjustment, Houser took a tangible step forward in 2025. He isn’t particularly flashy outside the pocket, finishing the year with 181 net rushing yards on 85 carries, but he’s functional enough as a runner to keep defenses honest. That showed up most clearly near the goal line, where he accounted for nine rushing touchdowns and proved he can contribute when plays break down or short-yardage situations demand it.

If push came to shove, Houser would be a perfectly acceptable one-year bridge option while A.J. Brand, Kelden Ryan and Troy Huhn continue to acclimate to the speed and structure of the collegiate game. He wouldn’t represent a long-term solution, but there’s value in stability, especially for a young quarterback room that still needs reps and time.

Houser wouldn’t be my first choice — that distinction belongs to either Penn State backup-turned-starter Ethan Grunkemeyer (who, at the time of writing, has not entered the transfer portal) or Missouri starter Beau Pribula (who has). Still, Houser profiles as a solid, dependable option who could operate efficiently in a more pocket-oriented offense. If Virginia Tech ultimately shifts away from the dual-threat identity it has leaned on heavily over the past decade, I think that Houser’s skill set would fit that philosophical pivot well enough to keep the offense afloat in the short term.