Harlon Barnett explains putting Katin Houser at quarterback

Harlon Barnett made a significant change coming out of the bye by switching from Noah Kim to Katin Houser at quarterback. It was nothing personal, though, as he says Michigan State just needed a change of pace.

Barnett explained the switch to Houser following the Spartan’s 27-24 loss at Rutgers this weekend. They saw a moment to give him a genuine shot and they decided to roll with it in Piscataway on Saturday.

“The reason to go to Katin? We just thought it was an opportunity for him,” explained Barnett. “We just thought it was a chance to change it up a little bit – not that it was all Noah’s fault or anything like that. But we thought it was an opportunity to change it up and give him an opportunity to show what he could do.”

Houser had appeared in four other games this fall as a backup to Kim. In his first start, he went 18-29 overall (62.1%) for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 27 yards and another score.

Houser’s production was nearly enough to win the day too. His second touchdown pass came in the third quarter and gave Michigan State an 18-point lead over the Scarlet Knights. From that moment on, it was all Rutgers as they scored 21 unanswered to take it by three.

It wasn’t the ideal finish for Houser and the Spartans as it ended up as their fourth consecutive loss. Still, Barnett saw what he was looking for from his new QB1 and, from here onward, he hopes that the final results will be a little bit different for him.

“We thought he did a good job today, a really good job,” said Barnett. “Happy he got his first start and wish we could have got his first win for him as well.”

Barnett declares Houser as Spartan’s starter moving forward

Katin Houser will be the starting quarterback for Michigan State moving forward. Harlon Barnett confirmed as much on Saturday following the Spartan’s latest game.

The redshirt freshman received his first career start on Saturday in a 27-24 loss to Rutgers, getting the nod over Noah Kim.

Barnett addressed the situation in his postgame press conference. He shared that the plan is to continue to start Houser heading into next week against Michigan.

“As of right now, that’s fair to say, yes,” he said.

Barnett liked what he saw early out of the quarterback, addressing his play in an interview during the game.

“He’s doing a great job,” Barnett said. “He’s under control, he’s taking what they’re giving us. We’re really excited how he’s playing so far.”

As a member of the Class of 2022, Houser was a four-star recruit out of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco according to the On3’s Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 16 overall prospect in the state, the No. 13 quarterback in the class, and the No. 210 overall prospect in the cycle.