Surf's Up for 2022 California QB, Hoping to Catch a Husky Wave
Katin Houser holds scholarship offers from Arizona, Colorado and Oregon State, but it's the one he doesn't have yet that he would most welcome.
Washington.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, by way of Liberty High in Henderson, Nevada, has been speaking with Husky recruiters for two years now.
First it was coach Chris Petersen and offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. He's since built a relationship with offensive coordinator John Donovan.
He has other connections to the UW, as well. He played youth football with wide receiver Germie Bernard and defensive lineman Sir Mells, and attended middle school with tight end Anthony Jones.
With the exception of Jones, they all played together at Liberty High in the Las Vegas suburbs. All but Houser have orally committed to play for the Huskies. That's incentive enough for the quarterback to come to Seattle, too.
"I'm pretty close to all of those guys," he said. "I'd love to play with those guys again."
Meantime, Houser has had to deal with change. He left Liberty High behind and moved to Southern California last month because his mother took a job there. He lives in a small beach house in Newport and attends St. John Bosco.
He's making the best of his new environment. When he's not in the film room breaking down film, studying for finals or throwing around a football, he's got a new passion.
"I love surfing," Houser said of his second favorite sport.
The budding quarterback sees many benefits of being on a surfboard.
"Surfing helps with my balance and stability in the pocket and making a throw in general," he said.
Unfortunately for him, Houser has had more surfboard time than gridiron hours.
Last April, the California spring sports season was canceled and fall sports were suspended indefinitely.
Although not taking a live high school snap, he's become close to the St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro, offensive coordinator Steven Lo and the players.
"I have been practicing with them for almost a year so I've gotten to know coach Negro and our offensive coordinator coach Lo quite well," he said. "Coach Lo has had a big impact on my play and development."
When he's not under the tutelage of the St. John Bosco's staff, Houser spends time working with quarterback guru Danny Hernandez at Team Dime in Los Angeles, someone who sees a budding star in Houser.
Hernandez expects the young quarterback's reputation to grow when high school football finally resumes again in California and his player participates in Elite 11 competition.
"Katin is one of the hardest-working quarterbacks I've worked with," he said. "Every year he adds another piece to his game. The program that lands Katin is going to get a playmaker with a high-football IQ."