Does Aidan Chiles have edge as Michigan State football's QB? 'An upset if he's not'
EAST LANSING — Jonathan Smith stopped short of naming Aidan Chiles his starting quarterback.
But the new Michigan State football coach confirmed what anyone paying attention to the college football world already assumed.
“I 'd describe it as an upset if he's not,” Smith said Monday, on the eve of the Spartans opening spring practices.
Chiles is one of four new quarterbacks to join Smith and his completely revamped offense. MSU’s first team workout under Smith is Tuesday morning, the first of 15 practices that will wrap up April 20 with the “Spring Showcase” at Spartan Stadium.
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Graduate transfer Tommy Schuster also arrives after starting most of the past four years for FCS-level North Dakota. Two true freshmen, Ryland Jessee and Alessio Milivojevic, also enrolled in January and will compete for the No. 2 or 3 spots between now and preseason camp in August. The Spartans start Smith's debut season against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 31 at Spartan Stadium.
Chiles, however, hit MSU with both prospect pedigree and experience in offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren’s system, along with a familiarity with Smith, who recruited him to Oregon State and gave him snaps last season as a true freshman.
“Anytime you get a guy that's familiar with the system, and then who kind of knows how you work and operate and call it on game day and the expectations for how you practice, it's great to have somebody in the room that's been with you like that,” Lindgren said earlier this month. “It's almost a veteran guy that can bring the other four quarterbacks that we've got in, as far as this is how we run this drill, this is the expectation in the offseason for how we do things and operate and do things in the weight room. That's a big piece, particularly going into a new program.”
Chiles departed Oregon State as the No. 7 transfer and No. 2 quarterback in the portal this offseason, according to 247 Sports' rankings. After Smith replaced Mel Tucker in late November, all three of MSU's scholarship quarterbacks — Katin Houser, Noah Kim and Sam Leavitt — transferred out. Walk-on Andrew Schorfhaar is the only QB remaining from 2023.
The 6-foot3, 213-point Chiles played in nine games at Oregon State as a true freshman last fall, with Smith deploying the native of Downey, California, every third series behind starter DJ Uiagalelei. Chiles finished 24-for-35 passing (68.6%) for 309 yards and four touchdowns and ran 17 times for 79 yards and three touchdowns.
“I love the way he carries himself, just the confidence that he plays with. Kind of a free spirit, to where if he has a bad play, he can move on to the next. And he does that better than any young guy that I've been around,” Lindgren said of Chiles. “And just the confidence, the swagger, the ability to focus — he showed that in scrimmages early in the in fall camp. And we wondered, OK, when the lights come on and the fans get out there, is he going to be able to with all that stuff, is that gonna be able to transition into being able to go out there and make checks and function in that environment? And that was pretty cool to see from a young guy.”
The four-star prospect in the recruiting class of 2023 was rated No. 12 at QB and the No. 152 overall recruit in 247Sports Composite rankings. It did not take long for Chiles to follow Smith across the country once he took the MSU job.
“He is a great person. I think he's a guy that guys like to be around, enjoy kind of his temperament,” Smith said of Chiles. “Again, football means a ton, but he doesn't take it too seriously. I think he's fitting in really well. And really that whole room itself, the QB room, again I go back to the work ethic, they've been working at it.
“Aidan does got some advantage. He knows some of the terminology already. I'm excited for him from being a first-year player last year to taking another step in Year 2. And then the leadership will come through because of his understanding, the comfort level in the scheme, but also his experience. And he understands it's not just about him, it's about the guys around him and the other QBs in the room.”
He'll have competition, however, from a veteran starter looking to prove himself at the highest level in his final year of eligibility.
Schuster, a Clinton Township Chippewa Valley alumnus, left North Dakota as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,073), touchdown passes (63) and completions (843). The 6-foot, 195-pounder from Macomb has a career 67.3% completion percentage and just 23 interceptions in 843 attempts. He was 24-18 as a starter, also playing in only three games as a true freshman in 2019 to preserve a redshirt.
Meanwhile, the freshmen — Jessee from San Diego and Milivojevic from Naperville, Illinois — will get their first taste of college spring ball.
“I look at Tommy's experience and what he's done at another place for a long period of time. He's got some proven experience of doing it,” Smith said. “And there's reasons why we recruited the other kids — to give them the opportunity to become the guy.”
Smith, a former starting QB himself at Oregon State, said establishing order at quarterback will be a priority as the Spartans practice Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays the next five weeks before the showcase at Spartan Stadium.
“There, it's important to get adjusted,” Smith said of the difference between QB and other positions. “It's so much communication, just even for the simple calling the play in the huddle, reading the signals. That part is vitally important early on so we can function at a high level. Those guys have been working hard now. They've been in the meetings, getting around coach Lindgren, trying to learn as much as they can on this offense and stuff. So I'm anxious to to see them go tomorrow.”
And does Smith think Chiles will be ready to make the ascent to starting in the Big Ten as a sophomore?
“We're gonna find out here starting to tomorrow,” Smith said. “We're confident on Aidan and his progression and where he's headed. I feel confident he can be a really good player.”
Two Spartans gone
The release of the spring roster shows another two MSU players from last season departed.
Senior linebacker Ma’a Gaoteote and redshirt freshman running back Jaelon Barbarin, both recruited by Tucker, are no longer with the program.
Gaoteote was Tucker’s first four-star signing in 2021, but he struggled for playing time. The 6-1, 230-pound native of Oahu, Hawaii, entered the transfer portal in early 2022 but withdrew and remained at MSU for the next two seasons.
In 2021, Gaoteote had seven tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup over nine games as a true freshman, playing 65 snaps on defense and 46 on special teams. The next year, he played in 11 games and had eight tackles, getting 54 snaps on defense predominantly in goal-line packages and 59 plays on special teams.
However, Gaoteote did not play in 2023, which allowed him to use a redshirt. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Barbarin, a three-star recruit, arrived last fall as a true freshman from Simi Valley, California. The 5-9, 185-pound former track star got one carry for 1 yard in MSU’s loss at Iowa, and he did not play again to preserve his redshirt. Barbarin has four years of eligibility remaining.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aidan Chiles has clear edge as Michigan State football starting QB
