Michigan State football: Aidan Chiles commitment would be a program changer

Michigan State football is reportedly expected to sign Aidan Chiles from the portal and he’d be a program changer.

The transfer portal officially opened this morning and the college football landscape is already changing dramatically. Michigan State football may potentially be on the cusp of landing a commitment from one of the best quarterbacks available.

Oregon State freshman quarterback Aidan Chiles officially entered the portal and rumors are circulating of Michigan State being his landing spot. This commitment would do wonders for our program as the Jonathan Smith era begins.

Let’s take a look at what Chiles would bring to the program.

Elite quarterback play

Elite quarterback play is something we’ve been missing since Connor Cook. Chiles could very well be the guy to take us back to elite play at that position. He was the No. 58 recruit in the country in the 2023 class. Rankings don’t mean everything, but that just shows the sky high potential Chiles has. Aidan is also the No. 1 ranked quarterback in the transfer portal as well. That can change as hundreds of players will still enter the portal, but that again shows how talented he is.

Chiles also played extremely well when he got opportunities as a freshman. He appeared in nine games for the Beavers, completing 24-of-35 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. He also had an 85.6 QBR and zero interceptions. These stats are very good for a true freshman who didn’t see the field much.

Maybe the most impressive thing we would get from Chiles is his dual-threat ability. I can’t remember the last time Michigan State had a dual-threat quarterback, but that is exactly who Chiles is. He also ran the ball for 79 yards and three touchdowns with some highlight plays along the ways.

Chiles is a special player, and these rankings and stats back that up.

Recruiting momentum

Chiles potentially joining Michigan State is massive. But the impact this would have in our program’s overall recruiting is even more important.

Good players like to play with other good players, especially when it’s a top-tier quarterback. Recruiting momentum is a real thing in college, if recruits see the best quarterback in the country transfer to Michigan State, they are going to want to follow. If MSU can land Chiles, especially early in the portal cycle, the floodgates could open in East Lansing.

We could see many other transfers flock to East Lansing as well as current players opting to stay at Michigan State. This would also impact recruiting in the 2024 class which we need help in desperately. As I already mentioned, just getting Chiles is a massive win for the program, but the after effect of this commitment could be even greater.

Still work to be done

There is still work to be done, but Michigan State fans have to like their chances. He played under Jonathan Smith at Oregon State, and the head coach has brought a lot of his former staff to East Lansing with him. Chiles chose to play for this staff out of high school, so it would be no surprise to see him do it again.

His connection to the coaching staff doesn’t make this a guarantee however. Earning his commitment also doesn’t guarantee the recruiting momentum I mentioned as well. The staff will have to still work very hard for both to occur. But with this news being so fresh still, we have to live where we stand right now.