Spartan Nation

BREAKING: Jonathan Smith, Michigan State Land Transfer Portal's No. 1 Quarterback

Jonathan Smith and the Spartans just made a big splash in the transfer portal!

Matthew Lounsberry

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BOOM!

Head coach Jonathan Smith and Michigan State football just made one of the biggest splashes in the transfer portal, as former Oregon State freshman quarterback Aidan Chiles has chosen to follow Smith and new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren from Corvallis to East Lansing.

Chiles is the first player to commit to Spartans out of the transfer portal since Smith was hired by Michigan State on Nov. 25, and it's hard to imagine MSU reeling in a bigger fish than the No. 1-rated quarterback and No. 2 overall player in the transfer portal (according to 247Sports).

Michigan State is in desperate need of help at quarterback after all three of their scholarship signal-callers from the 2023 season each opted to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Redshirt junior Noah Kim, who started five games for the Spartans this season, recently committed to Coastal Carolina. True freshman Sam Leavitt, who played well in four games this season in a backup role, committed to Arizona State. Redshirt freshman Katin Houser, who started MSU's final seven games, remains in the portal and has not chosen a new home as of Dec. 14.

Chiles was the crown jewel of Smith's final recruiting class at Oregon State, considered the No. 152 overall recruit and No. 12 quarterback in the 2023 class. Appearing in nine games for the Beavers this past season, Chiles threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns while completing 24-of-35 pass attempts, without an interception. The freshman added 79 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 17 carries.

Chiles comes to Michigan State with three seasons of eligibility remaining, and is presently the runaway favorite to be the Spartans' starting quarterback in 2024. Smith and MSU will have to add more talent to their depleted quarterback room, and it will be interesting to see what other guys the new coaching staff in East Lansing is able to bring in to build QB depth. It's likely that MSU will add multiple quarterbacks through the transfer portal this offseason, and may sign multiple high school quarterbacks in the 2024 recruiting cycle as well to rebuild its depth at the position.

Here's what 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins had to say about Chiles coming out of high school:

Chiles is a true dual-threat quarterback who has made big strides in his game over the last year. After breaking his wrist halfway through his junior season, Chiles put up big numbers as a senior and can stress a defense with his arm and his legs. He has an easy delivery and the ball jumps out of his hand. He’s elusive in the pocket, runs well and is very capable of picking up chunks of yards on zone reads or escaping pressure and taking off. He has worked hard on his mechanics and his release is tighter and he’s able to get the ball off from different arm angles. The game is slowing down for him and you can see he’s processing faster and able to find secondary receivers. He’s a natural leader and will be a future captain at the next level and as his game will only progress as he takes more game reps.

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Matthew Lounsberry
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