Former MSU Coach, CFB Legend Saban With Extreme Praise for Chiles
Before he became the legend he did, Nick Saban served as the head coach of Michigan State football for five seasons.
It's been almost a quarter of a century since Saban left East Lansing, and since then, there have been five full-time head coaches leading the Spartans.
Today, the program resides in the hands of Jonathan Smith, an experienced coach in his first year at the helm. Leading the offense for Smith is his quarterback, Aidan Chiles, a sophomore who followed him over from Oregon State this past offseason.
Chiles is still developing, but Saban, who knows what it takes to win at Michigan State, has the utmost faith in how good the young quarterback can be.
During a segment on College GameDay on Saturday, Saban was asked to answer the blank: "The ceiling for Aidan Chiles (MSU) is ____."
"Tremendous," Saban said. "I think this guy has tremendous upside. he's a dual-threat quarterback, he's a good thrower, good passer, makes a lot of good throws, can beat you with his feet. But the big thing he's got to learn to do, which a lot of young quarterbacks have to do, is eliminate the bad plays. Everybody wants to make plays, great competitors want to make great plays, but you got to take what the defense gives, and that's what he needs to learn."
High, high praise from arguably the greatest college football coach of all time. Saban has produced great quarterbacks in his time as a head coach at the college level -- Bryce Young, Matt Mauck, Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, AJ McCarron, Mac Jones. It's safe to say he knows how good a quarterback can be.
Chiles has turned the ball over at least once in every game so far this season, but he's made some great plays as well. When the Spartans are marching down the field, Chiles is on his game and demonstrates glimpses of a player who could be the best quarterback in the conference at some point down the road.
There's still half a season left for the Spartans, and their toughest battles may be behind them. With six games under his belt, it's time for Chiles to turn the corner.
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