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
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.
How he plays
Extends plays with his feet until something opens up.
Success rate: 97th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
passing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 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
Senior quarterback for Illinois. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Aura™ · Him Watch
-50aura tax
78th pctl our passing-value metric (wEPA) QBs · 160 qualified, n=22
— the tape outruns the hype.Buzz vs Tape
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.
“Katin Houser Rocks Defense is suspect tho…”
Katin Houser
Katin Houser arrives at Illinois with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
PASS YDS · 2,500-YD CLUB
3,300
3300 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
The role got bigger.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
FRESHMAN HONORS
Freshman recognition (2023)
1 mention(s)
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Bret Bielema.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Illinois
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Illinois | 60 | 81 | 74.1% | 758 | 9.4 | 8 | 2 | 180.3 | 71 | -- | -- |
| 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 | 592 | 929 | 63.7% | 7,164 | 7.7 | 51 | 24 | 141.5 | 60 | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Illinois | 10 | 50 | 5.0 | 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 | 193 | 420 | 2.2 | 16 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 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 | 3 TD passes |
| Wk 3 | W 48-10vs Southern Illinois | 23/29 | 305 | 2 | 1 | 10.5 | 72.4 | Season-high 305 yds |
| Total | 60/81 | 758 | 8 | 2 | 9.6 | 83.1 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 48–10
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +305 passing yards, +2 passing TD, +1 interception.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: success rate (97th percentile). Strength: epa / dropback (89th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Pass Profile · True throw depth (charted plays)
Adjusted ANY/A, sack rate, and where the yards came from
Adjusted ANY/A
9.9022 of 126 QBsSack rate
2.4%25 of 126 QBsRarely sacked (25 of 126 QBs) and still 22 of 126 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
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
Overall 73.2% completion on 82 attempts · 62% completion on 8 deep attempts (20+ air yds).
Zeitgeist Passer Rating
2026 · our own passing-efficiency number, shown next to the 1979 formula it does not replace.
Thin sample: 81 dropbacks71Zeitgeist Passer Ratingnot ranked until 125 dropbacks
--NCAA passer ratingno box-score line yet
Positive-play rate weight 24%
58.3%100th pct of FBS QBsshare of dropbacks that gained expected points · -3.4% schedule adj.Yards per attempt weight 56%
8.5393th pct of FBS QBssacks excluded · -0.9 schedule adj.Sack rate weight 21% (penalty)
2.7%90th pct of FBS QBsthe input passer rating cannot see · +0.3% schedule adj.Opponent-adjusted; garbage time excluded (2 of 83 dropbacks dropped). 50 = FBS average; the number is pulled toward 50 when the sample is thin. Scaled against the 2025 FBS population until enough 2026 QBs qualify. How ZPR is built.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 253 | 2.7 | 9.6 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 253 | 2.7 | 9.6 | 0.7 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
48.8%
81 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
55.3
3 games
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Our Heisman model has him in the top five; no finalist honor is on the books yet.
Play style
Extends plays with his feet until something opens up.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Makes plays with feet when the pocket collapses. Efficiency still on the rise.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Elijah Sindelar’s 2019 season.
Matches Elijah on
Differs from Elijah on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Andrew Marty’s path through Northwestern.
Matches Andrew on
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Conner Weigman's graduate season at Houston (2026).
Matches Conner on
Differs from Conner on
Player DNA
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #11 this season.
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…