The Spartans have now lost three players to the portal since it opened with the addition of Houser. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Spencer Brown and junior linebacker Darius Snow announced their decisions to transfer also on Monday.

Houser took over the starting quarterback job in week seven of the 2023 season. Houser was given the reins midway through the season over redshirt junior quarterback Noah Kim after struggles on the offensive side of the ball were evident.

In seven games as the starter, Houser threw for 974 yards and six touchdowns with four interceptions. Houser threw for 158 yards and an additional interception in four appearances off the bench in spite of Kim’s struggles against Central Michigan, Richmond, No 8. ranked Washington and Maryland. 

Houser looked to take control of the offense as the season finished in order to spark a change. The first five games of the switch looked inconsistent however, as Houser didn’t eclipse over 175 passing yards in a game during that span. MSU only scored 59 points across those five games. 

In the win over Indiana in week 12, Houser had his best performance of his career, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions including a game winning drive. The performance showed the potential that could be shown under proper development. Houser was also recognized as the Big Ten Freshman of the week after the game. 

Michigan State now has three active quarterbacks on their roster. Kim suffered an injury following a loss to Iowa in week five and didn’t see the field for the rest of the season with his future uncertain. Freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt recorded stats in four games this year, completing 13 passes for 139 yards and two touchdown passes with two interceptions. Walk-on junior quarterback Andrew Schorfhaar also remains on the team as of now. 

The addition of newly appointed head coach Jonathan Smith will likely keep the portal active for MSU in terms of additions and subtractions of players. It will be important to note the quarterback position going forward as there will likely be an upcoming battle for the starting spot once again this offseason.