Landing Aiden Chiles is great first step for Jonathan Smith at Michigan State

Big news for the Michigan State program and new head coach Jonathan Smith was announced on Thursday. Quarterback Aiden Chiles will be following Smith and heading to East Lansing after spending one season at Oregon State. The quarterback of the present and future, Chiles is a massive pickup for the Spartans.

“He fits into that offensive system really well,” Jason Killop of On3’s Spartan Mag said during Thursday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “It’s a massive pickup for Michigan State with an empty quarterback room at the moment. Chiles can step in and Michigan State fans can expect to see him on the field right away.

“He played as a true freshman for Oregon State last year, splitting time with DJ Uiagalelei. So, he has experience already as a true sophomore and knows the system and is familiar with Jonathan Smith.”

Smith made sure to get Chiles acclimated as a true freshman, throwing him in there on the third drive of every Oregon State game. Results were positive, with Chiles throwing for 309 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions on 35 pass attempts.

A unique way to get Chiles playing time, Michigan State’s likely 2024 starter will not go into the season completely blind. The sample size is not huge but it’s better than nothing. You have to believe spending a year off the field with Smith did more for Chiles than anything.

Aiden Chiles to potentially start Michigan State momentum

Usually, newly hired head coaches like to make a move at quarterback and bring one of their own guys in. While Smith was able to pull that off with Chiles, he did not really have any other option. Michigan State had nobody left in the position room. All three guys had transferred out.

Chiles’ commitment was a big one in multiple ways and hopefully for Spartan fans, just the beginning of the wave coming to East Lansing.

“He brings something to the table that Michigan State fans aren’t used to with dynamic, dual-threat capabilities,” Killop said. “He’s a guy that will attract other talent to follow him to East Lansing. So, it’s a big first step as he arrives in East Lansing to get that quarterback position locked up and keep pushing that momentum.”

For the time being, Chiles is the only commitment Michigan State has received out of the NCAA transfer portal. His presence should attract some skill position players, especially since he has two years of eligibility remaining.