Source: Michigan State QB Katin Houser plans to enter transfer portal

Michigan State quarterback Katin Houser plans to enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining, he told On3 on Monday afternoon.

A former four-star prospect in the 2021 class, the redshirt freshman ascended to the starting quarterback job for the Spartans midway through this season. In 11 games this year, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback was 112 of 191 for 1,132 yards and six touchdowns and five interceptions.

Coming out of St. John Bosco, Houser had offers from nearly every Pac-12 school. He flipped his commitment from Boise State to the Spartans in June 2021. He was also an Elite 11 Finals participant. But with a new head coach in East Lansing, the quarterback is ready to explore his options in the portal. Michigan State hired Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith over the weekend.

His grandfather, John Houser, was a two-time all-WAC offensive guard and AP All-America honorable mention at Arizona State. With three years of eligibility remaining, Katin Houser will get a hard look from multiple Power 5 programs. With a quick release and ability to throw on the run, he has the traits to fit step right in as a starting quarterback.

“A top-10 caliber quarterback in the transfer portal is worth seven figures. But a high school quarterback isn’t worth anything because they’re not going to start,” a collective leader recently told On3.

Michigan State’s Spencer Brown entered the transfer portal earlier Monday afternoon.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal starts with the school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship is no longer valid. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school does not have to cover their scholarship.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask for a “do not contact” tag on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want contact from schools unless they initiate the communication.

Track transfer portal activity

While the NCAA transfer portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement.

If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to our Transfer Portal Wire.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Consensus recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and senior national college football reporter Matt Zenitz’s Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.