Illinois football is heading into the season with a new face at quarterback, and Katin Houser is already getting a heavy dose of skepticism.
That’s a little odd considering what Houser brings to the table. He arrives at Illinois for his final college season with plenty of experience, and the numbers from his last two years at East Carolina make a strong case: 5,406 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and 17 interceptions overall, including 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns and six picks last season.
Still, not everyone is sold. On Tuesday night, On3.com published Ari Wasserman’s top 10 quarterbacks in the Big Ten, and Houser was nowhere on it.
Oregon’s Dante Moore was No. 1, followed by Ohio State’s Julian Sayin. Jayden Maiava was also among the quarterbacks at the top of the conference list, but Houser didn’t crack the cut.
That omission stands out because this is the Big Ten, not the entire country. If the discussion is conference-only, Houser has a real argument to be included.
The top of Wasserman’s list makes sense. Moore, Sayin and Maiava were the Big Ten’s top three quarterbacks in passing yards last season, so there’s no real debate there. The questions start farther down the rankings, where Houser could easily be part of the conversation.
The quarterbacks listed in that lower range all come with their own issues. Bryce Underwood threw for 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions for Michigan in 2025.
Malik Washington finished with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions for Maryland. Nico Iamaleava posted 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions for UCLA.
Drake Lindsey had 18 touchdowns and six interceptions for Maryland.
Houser also steps into an Illinois offense that was built around Luke Altmyer, and that matters. The fit is supposed to be smooth because the two quarterbacks are so similar, which makes this feel like a true plug-and-play move for Bret Bielema’s team.
Illinois has earned some benefit of the doubt after back-to-back seasons of at least nine wins and 19 combined victories, plus bowl wins over two SEC programs over the last two seasons. Even so, the outside skepticism keeps coming. Houser may have just been handed another reason to play with a chip on his shoulder.
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