The departure of Luke Altmyer is going to be a rough one for the Illinois football team.
Altmyer did some special things for the Illini, as he helped lead us to back-to-back bowl games, and both of those were victories over SEC opponents.
Now that Illinois has moved on from Altmyer and all of his success, we are on the lookout for his replacement. There is talent on the roster, but on Sunday night, the Illini found the next man up.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Katin Houser has committed to Illinois. This is a huge get for the Orange and Blue and one that will set this program up for success in 2026.
NEWS: Former East Carolina quarterback Katin Houser is committing to Illinois, sources tell ESPN. Houser threw for 3,300 yards this year, 19 touchdowns and completed 65.9% of his passes. He’s played four total seasons at Mich State and ECU, throwing for 6,438 yards and 43 TDs. pic.twitter.com/EymooKV87E
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 5, 2026
Coming out of St. John Bosco High School in 2022, Houser was a four-star quarterback who was the No. 215 player in the class of 2022. He was also the No. 14 quarterback in the country and the No. 15 player coming out of California.
Houser had plenty of options, but he would ultimately pick Michigan State as his landing spot. In two seasons with the Spartans, he threw for 1,132 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. After the 2023 campaign, Houser hit the transfer portal and ended up with East Carolina.
This is when Houser’s career started to take off. He had 2,006 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 2024. This past season, he took another step forward, finishing with 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Illinois football has their transfer portal quarterback for 2026, and I believe we got a good one
If you had told me Illinois lands Houser out of the transfer portal a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t think anything of it. But now that he has developed, this looks to be a big get for the Illini.
Houser actually got to play against some tough competition in 2025, too. He had a game against a BYU squad that was top 20 in the country, and he threw for 285 yards in that game. He also had 366 yards and a touchdown against North Carolina State.
Now that Illinois has their quarterback, let’s continue building around him. There are plenty of pieces to replace, and the offensive line should be the next big target.