East Carolina's Houser to Prove Military Bowl Wasn’t a Fluke

He'll face off against the uniform he saw in his last outing, but not the same scheme. With the hiring of new defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot, Houser can't expect the same looks he got months ago. 

Houser Background 

Houser was a consensus four-star recruit coming out of St. John Bosco and participated in the finals of the Elite 11 quarterback competitions. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,408 yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions during his senior season. He shared starting quarterback duties in his senior season as a Brave and helped St. John Bosco to a 10-2 record. 

He decided to commit to Michigan State and didn't see much time in his first year with the program. He debuted against Akron, only playing six offensive snaps. In his second year, 2023, Houser played in 11 games where he threw for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. 

Houser decided it was time for a change, which led to him becoming a Pirate. Still, he didn't initially start with the starting quarterback job out of the gate in the 2024 season. Jake Garcia took over the role, but the Pirates made a change mid-season. 

Against Army on Oct. 19, Houser took over the starting quarterback responsibilities and earned a 5-2 record, leading the Pirates to the Military Bowl. 

Houser recorded 2,176 all-purpose yards in those seven starts and averaged 241.8 yards of total offense per game. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Houser recorded 19 Big Time Throws (a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally throws further down the field and/or into a tighter window). For reference, CJ Bailey only had 14 Big Time Throws as a starter last season.

2025

Houser hopes he can make a big jump going into the 2025 season. The Pirates are returning most of their wideouts from a season ago and have even added weapons for the ground and air attack. 

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