Michigan State has the tall task of moving past a Mel Tucker era that was marred in scandal, deception, and overall inconsistent play, but the pieces might be there to do just that.
Successful teams have successful head coaches and talented quarterbacks. The Spartans certainly have the former in new head coach Jonathan Smith, and according to those within the program, they also have the latter: QB Aidan Chiles.
In fact, Michigan State OC Brian Lindgren recently called Chiles “One of the More Talented Guys I’ve Been Around.”
Michigan State OC Brian Lindgren on QB Aidan Chiles: “One of the More Talented Guys I’ve Been Around”
When Smith and Lindgren arrived in East Lansing, they were greeted with one of the bleakest quarterback rooms in modern history. The Spartans lost three scholarship quarterbacks to the transfer portal, leaving zero on the roster.
Not only did Smith and Lindgren — who hold both offensive coordinator and quarterback coach titles — have to find a starter, but they also had to fill out an empty room. They picked up two three-star signal-callers from the high school ranks and landed Tommy Schuster from North Dakota through the portal.
The real prize, though, was Aidan Chiles, who followed Smith from Oregon State. There, Chiles sat behind DJ Uiagalelei as a freshman, though he received regular playing time, playing the third series of most games in a pre-determined fashion.
Smith and Lindgren, who both recruited the highly-coveted Chiles out of high school and coached him for a year with the Beavers, knew of his talent. He was, after all, one of the highest-rated recruits to ever choose Oregon State out of high school.
However, the rest of the country hasn’t seen the full extent of his talent. That will change this year, as Chiles is penned in as the starter at Michigan State. Lindgren had some high praise of Chiles in an interview last week.
“Something that we’re always looking for in recruiting a QB is like that moxie,” Lindgren said. “That ‘it’ factor to where he’s got that confidence, that kind of swagger to the way that he plays. He does a really nice job of, if he does make a mistake, flushing that play, moving onto the next. And when he gets hot and getting going, he’s one of the more talented guys that I’ve been around.”
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While Chiles has not “officially” been named the starter, it is a foregone conclusion that he’ll win the job. Michigan State’s success this year hinges on whether or not he plays to his highest potential.
If he does, the Spartans could make some noise in a loaded Big Ten.
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