Chiles’ time behind center at MSU has come to an end
Just about two years ago today, Jonathan Smith, the 26th Head Coach in MSU Football history, was getting settled in to his new home in East Lansing. The hiring of the former Oregon State HC was one met with a wide variety of responses, but one key transfer portal acquisition brought with it more hope for the Smith era than anything else during that off-season leading up to 2024. The former blue-chip recruit, #1 QB prospect in the portal, and young talent Aidan Chiles would be following his coach to Michigan State.
From his commitment pictures featuring Zeke the Wonder Dog and onward, Chiles brought with him loads of excitement to an MSU football program in dire need of some positive momentum. Many Spartan fans agreed that he would be one of the most physically gifted Quarterbacks in program history, and with a year in Jonathan Smith’s system already under his belt, the sky was the limit for Aidan Chiles. Despite having all the tools, it was never meant to be for the Southern California kid.
Now, in December of 2025, the Chiles experiment has officially come to an end at MSU. The 6’3” 217 lb Junior has announced his intent to enter the transfer portal with only one year of eligibility remaining. When Aidan Chiles entered the portal for the first time in late 2023, he was rated by several sites as the top signal caller looking for a new home. He will likely once again be one of the highest coveted transfer portal prizes during this year’s cycle, with great physical size and stature, and a high potential that unfortunately was not realized over the course of his two years in East Lansing.
As a Spartan, Chiles played in 21 games. He achieved a 60.8% completion percentage for 3,807 yards and 23 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He also added 452 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground for the green and white. As a captain and leader of two teams that had very disappointing seasons, Chiles has taken a lot of the blame for a pair of years with underwhelming offensive output. The now-former Head Coach, Jonathan Smith, also was highly criticized for never developing the young talent into a top QB in the Big Ten and the country, something that his sky-high potential certainly suggests is possible.
Similar to Jonathan Smith’s story in East Lansing, it seemed as if Aidan Chiles simply never was the right fit. As we discussed ad nauseam throughout this season in our Film Room articles, there are plenty of questions on whether or not the Smith/Brian Lindgren pro-style offense was the best way to take advantage of Chiles’ mobility, arm strength, and style of play.
While Aidan certainly had some incredible moments for Michigan State, like the overtime win against Boston College where he made play after play, through the air and on the ground, he will ultimately go down as a once-promising prospect who never lived up to the hype. As the 2025 season rolled on, Chiles battled both injuries and Redshirt Freshman Alessio Milivojevic in an attempt to stay on the field, and now has unsurprisingly thrown his hat into the ring that is the college football transfer portal. Obviously, we hope nothing but the best in the future for Chiles, and thank him for his time and commitment to this University.
In other news … the QB spot is now more than ever Alessio’s job; and the 2026 Spartans his team to lead.
Category: General Sports
