Oregon State QB Aidan Chiles transfering to Michigan State, following Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith’s quarterback of the future is now Michigan State football’s quarterback of the future.
The Spartans landed a commitment Monday from Oregon State transfer Aidan Chiles, who will follow his former coach to East Lansing. He is ranked the No. 2 overall player and top quarterback in the transfer portal, according to 247 Sports. Chiles confirmed his plans on social media on Thursday with a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound native of Downey, California (a Los Angeles suburb), played in nine games as a true freshman for the Beavers, with Smith deploying Chiles every third series behind starter DJ Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei, who transferred to Oregon State before the season from Clemson, also entered the portal as a graduate transfer.
Chiles is a dual threat and was 24-for-35 passing (68.6%) for 309 yards and four touchdowns in nine games this season. He ran 17 times for 79 yards and three scores. The former four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class was rated No. 12 at QB and the No. 152 overall recruit in 247 Sports' composite rankings.
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Chiles' best performance came in the Beavers' 62-17 win over Stanford on Nov. 11. He completed five of eight passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, and had a 1-yard rushing score and another 20-yard run.
Bringing along Chiles now shores up one area of need for Smith, who saw all three of MSU’s scholarship quarterbacks enter the portal after his hiring was announced Nov. 25. Redshirt freshman Katin Houser and redshirt junior Noah Kim combined to start every game this season. The third, true freshman Sam Leavitt, is an Oregon native whom Smith bypassed for Chiles in the recruiting process out of high school. Leavitt on Monday committed to Arizona State. Kim has transferred to Coastal Carolina.
The Spartans also had junior walk-ons Andrew Schorfhaar and Zach Gillespie on the roster.
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Chiles arrives with 3 years of eligibility remaining, and how Smith fills the rest of the quarterback spots will be another important step in rebuilding the roster that remains after Mel Tucker’s firing Sept. 27.
MSU likely needs to get a veteran from the portal with minimal remaining eligibility to compete with Chiles for the starting job or at least provide a capable backup option. The Spartans also no longer have a QB commitment after Henry Hasselbeck, son of former NFL Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck, reopened his recruitment Dec. 1.
Houser played in 11 games but the offense struggled to move the ball with him under center. He completed 58.6% of his attempts and averaged 102.7 yards per game. He threw six touchdowns with five interceptions and scored twice. MSU won vs. Nebraska and at Indiana in November with Houser starting and finishing each game.
Leavitt appeared to have the most promise in his limited reps over four games, playing the entire fourth quarters against Michigan and Minnesota. He played one series in his debut against Maryland and two series against Nebraska, throwing the eventual winning touchdown to beat the Huskers. Leavitt finished the season 15-for-23 for 138 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and rushed for 67 yards on 13 attempts.
The NCAA early signing period runs from Dec. 20-22, and the transfer portal is open until Jan. 4.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aidan Chiles follows Jonathan Smith to Michigan State football
