A former Michigan State football QB leads the nation in passing

Sep 25, 2025; Greenville, North Carolina, USA;  East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser (4) looks to throw the ball against the Army Black Knights during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Sep 25, 2025; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser (4) looks to throw the ball against the Army Black Knights during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

It's been a good week for former Michigan State football quarterbacks.

It got started with Katin Houser leading East Carolina to a 28-6 win over Army on Thursday night. In the win, he passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns, pushing his total over 1,500 yards on the season. He also has seven touchdowns to four interceptions through five games.

On Friday night, it was Sam Leavitt who led a furious Arizona State comeback win over No. 24 TCU. Leavitt was the star of the show, passing for 291 yards and rushing for 62 with three total scores.

Both quarterbacks have been fantastic this season.

One, however, leads college football in total passing yards before Saturday's games are finalized. That's right, Houser is the nation's (current) leading passer with 1,509 yards. His numbers have dipped slightly each week since passing for 366 against NC State in the opener, but he's still a problem for opposing defenses.

It's been great to see Houser have success since leaving Michigan State, and he's thrown for over 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns over the past 1.5 seasons since leaving the program.

While he likely won't be the nation's leading passer after Week 5 games are in the books, it's cool to see his name at the top of the list. He worked hard to get to this position and had to fight for his starting job; now he's finally getting the praise and recognition he deserves.

Michigan State fans have seen Houser, Leavitt, and Aidan Chiles all have a ton of success this season.