Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-23vs UAB | 13/17 | 182 | 3 | 0 | 10.7 | 98.9 | 3 TD passes |
| Wk 2 | L 27-31vs Duke | 24/35 | 271 | 3 | 1 | 7.7 | 78.1 | Season-high 271 yds |
| Total | 37/52 | 453 | 6 | 1 | 9.2 | 88.5 |
#4
Katin Houser
3,300 pass YDS, 2,500-yd club is what Katin Houser has put on film since landing at Illinois — the bet is starting to settle.
6′3″ · 225 lb · Anaheim, CA · St. John Bosco
CFB Index 63 · #41 of 146 QBsHigh confidencePOTY finalist (model)Transferred East Carolina → Illinois for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
On production he ranks #41 of 146 QBs; on reputation he is a projected national-award finalist. The gap between those two numbers is the story.
The numbers
453
passing yards · 2026
6 TD · 1 INT · 8.7 per attempt
2 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 343 yds · 5 TD -- top 1% passing TDs game. -- Best game: 271 pass yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, vs Duke
The play that turned itSwung East Carolina from 44% to 95% to win.Memphis at East Carolina · 31-27
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 quarterback for Illinois. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Michigan State in 2022.
- Transferred from East Carolina to Illinois in 2026.
Aura™ · Him Watch
Underrated
-50aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 28th percentile of QBs; the tape says
78th pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=22
— the tape outruns the hype.Aura — fan perception28th pctl
Production — on-field78th pctl
n=22 mentions · cohort: QBs · 160 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = our passing-value metric (wEPA)
Buzz vs Tape
Attention percentile: 29th · Production percentile: 78th
His production sits in the 78th percentile among qualified QBs this season, well ahead of 29th-percentile attention — a gap of 49 points between tape and volume.
29thattention percentile · vs QBs
78thproduction percentile · vs QBs
In Their Words
239 windows · 2026 fan posts
katin×1519.5illinois×66.6houser×597.0east×47.0carolina×12.4led×23.9bowl×21.2good×7.0
“Katin Houser Rocks Defense is suspect tho…”
reddit/fightingillini · fan post, verbatim
Katin Houser
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-15
Katin Houser arrives at Illinois with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
453PASS YDS6PASS TD47RUSH YDS
PASS YDS · 2,500-YD CLUB
3,300
3300 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
2022
- Signed with Michigan State4-star out of St. John Bosco
20249 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎓
FRESHMAN HONORS
Freshman recognition (2023)
1 mention(s)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
Illinois
Played his entire career under Bret Bielema.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Illinois
2025East Carolina
2026Illinois
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Michigan State5-7HC: Mel Tucker · Balanced
2023Michigan State4-8HC: Mel Tucker · Balanced
2024East Carolina8-5HC: Mike Houston · Balanced
2025East Carolina9-4HC: Blake Harrell · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2026Illinois1-1HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidenceSustained Ascent
Elite: yards / att (92nd percentile). Strength: completion % (85th percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Passing profile
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
53 of 52 attempts matched to play-by-play
51 of 53 attempts charted for true throw depth
Adjusted ANY/A
10.1512 of 75 QBsSack rate
0.0%1 of 75 QBsRarely sacked (1 of 75 QBs) and still 12 of 75 in Adjusted ANY/A.
Adjusted ANY/A uses full-season box-score totals (attempts, yards, TDs, INTs); sack rate is play-by-play-derived.
Behind LOS · Negative air yds
16% of attempts (8)
88%comp
Air -1.8 · YAC 10.9 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
49% of attempts (25)
80%comp
Air 5.4 · YAC 2.5 avg
Middle · 10–19 air yds
27% of attempts (14)
50%comp1 INT
Air 14.1 · YAC 0.9 avg
Deep · 20+ air yds
8% of attempts (4)
50%comp
Air 28.8 · YAC 9.0 avg
Overall 69.8% completion on 53 attempts · 49% of attempts thrown 0–9 air yds.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 226 YDS/g, 3.0 TD/g, 9.2 YPA, 0.5 INT/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
POTY finalist (model)
Our Heisman model has him in the top five; no finalist honor is on the books yet.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Illinois | 37 | 52 | 71.2% | 453 | 8.7 | 6 | 1 | 178.6 | 69 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | East Carolina | 269 | 408 | 65.9% | 3,300 | 8.1 | 19 | 6 | 146.3 | 66 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 149 | 245 | 60.8% | 2,006 | 8.2 | 18 | 11 | 144.9 | 68 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Michigan State | 113 | 193 | 58.5% | 1,098 | 5.7 | 6 | 5 | 111.4 | 33 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Michigan State | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 58.4 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 569 | 900 | 63.2% | 6,859 | 7.6 | 49 | 23 | 140.1 | 59 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Illinois | 7 | 47 | 6.7 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | East Carolina | 85 | 193 | 2.3 | 9 | -- |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 49 | 170 | 3.5 | 4 | -- |
| 2023 | Michigan State | 48 | -6 | -0.1 | 2 | -- |
| 2022 | Michigan State | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 190 | 417 | 2.2 | 16 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 42–23
vs UAB
182 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 98.9 · 29 rush yds (3 car) · 1 TD
With C. Valentine — 88 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD · M. Resetich — 4 SOLO · 4 TOT · 65 AVG
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · UAB · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +5.34Ty Robinson 54 Yd pass from Katin Houser (Ethan Moczulski Kick)
- Week 2 · Duke · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA +4.95(12:53) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete deep left to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE18, for 40 yards to the DUKE00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:47, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 1 · UAB · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.59(07:57) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short left to #17 C.Dixon caught at UAB00, for 18 yards to the UAB00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:55, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 1 · UAB · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.55(10:17) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short left to #17 C.Dixon caught at UAB03, for 14 yards to the UAB00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:15, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 2 · Duke · 3&2 · Q2 · EPA +2.54(01:50) #4 K.Houser pass complete short middle to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE00, for 2 yards to the DUKE00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:48 #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 2 · Duke · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.54(10:28) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short right to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE00, for 13 yards to the DUKE00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:23, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 2 · Duke · 3&5 · Q1 · EPA +2.19(06:26) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short right to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE47, for 8 yards to the DUKE46 (#1 K.Loud), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Duke · 2&20 · Q3 · EPA +2.06(06:04) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short right to #13 H.Clement caught at DUKE29, for 15 yards to the DUKE29 (#1 K.Loud)
- Week 1 · UAB · 1&6 · Q4 · EPA +2.05(12:30) Shotgun #4 K.Houser rush middle for 6 yards gain to the UAB00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:25 #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 1 · UAB · 2&11 · Q3 · EPA +2.02(14:26) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short left to #17 C.Dixon caught at ILL30, for 15 yards to the ILL39 (#3 I.Esonwune), 1ST DOWN
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Operates within the system without forcing anything.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Pocket Passer
Balanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile.
QB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Holton Ahlers’s 2022 season.
73%match
Matches Holton on
Total pass EPA (college ability)
Height
TD rate
Differs from Holton on
Class year (higher)
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Aidan Chiles’s path through Michigan State.
89%match
Matches Aidan on
Height
Yards per attempt
Completion %
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Ben Wooldridge's senior season at Louisiana (2024).
69%match
All-Sun Belt
Matches Ben on
Total pass EPA (college ability)
Differs from Ben on
TD rate (lower)
Yards / attempt (lower)
Weight (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like Katin Houser
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #11
Peaked at #11 this season.
Background
Pronunciation: KATE-inn HOW-zer 2026 - Illinois Team Captain Enters 2026 with 26 career starts, tied for the 12th-most among active quarterbacks in FBS Signed with Illinois on Jan. 4, 2026 Threw for 6,438 yards and 43 touchdowns, plus ran for 15 touchdowns, during his first four seasons of colleg...
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology