Is MSU's Aidan Chiles Being Ranked Fairly Among Big Ten QBs?
There is a lot of excitement within Spartan Nation regarding transfer quarterback Aidan Chiles, and rightfully so.
The sophomore quarterback from Oregon State can do it all, from taking matters into his own hands by carrying the rock to letting it rip deep for big gains.
It's a skill set the Spartans haven't had at quarterback for a long time, which is, of course, a big reason for the eagerness around the fan base.
Most rankings have had Chiles among the Big Ten's top 10 quarterbacks entering the 2024 season, including a recent article from 247Sports' Cody Nagel.
Nagel ranked Chiles at No. 8, one spot ahead of Michigan's Alex Orji.
"Jonathan Smith convinced promising young quarterback Aidan Chiles to follow him from Oregon State to Michigan State in December," Nagel wrote. "In his limited appearances as the Beavers' backup in 2023, Chiles completed 69% of his passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. He ranked as the No. 2 transfer portal quarterback of the cycle. Although Chiles is the clear starter for the Spartans in 2024, North Dakota transfer Tommy Schuster provides depth behind him after Michigan State lost each of its top three quarterbacks from last season. The Spartans do have some underrated weapons to surround Chiles with as well."
The following were the rest of the top 10 on Nagel's list:
7. Tyler Van Dyke, Wisconsin
6. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
5. Will Rogers, Washington
4. Miller Moss, USC
3. Will Howard, Ohio State
2. Drew Allar, Penn State
1. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Michigan State will have the challenge of facing Howard and Gabriel in back-to-back games.
Chiles will have the luxury of playing under his coaches from Oregon State, Coach Smith and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren. Moving from backup status to QB1 might be a difficult transition, but Chiles is ready for it.
"I just think moving into that [role] where he's taking a bulk of the 1 reps, I just think the maturity -- we're really challenging him on just consistency," Coach Lindgren said back in April. "I think as a young guy a year ago, you saw flashes where it's one or two big-time plays, and then, there would be two to three mental mistakes or missing a throw here, not making a correct read. So, I've been really challenging him on consistency, and we've seen it at times, but I still think that's something we're getting him -- just tidying up the details as he moves into the fall of just that being consistent and stacking those quality, well-executed plays one after another, being more consistent that way."
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