Aidan Chiles has the right mindset heading into second half of 2024

Up and down doesn't even begin to cover the type of season it's been so far for Aidan Chiles with Michigan State.

Chiles came over with Jonathan Smith from Oregon State this offseason and was immediately dubbed the No. 1 quarterback in the transfer portal by 247Sports. It took a little courting for the Spartans to land Chiles, but he eventually followed his head coach where he was the presumed starter right away -- mostly because the Spartans lost their entire quarterback room.

But also because Chiles' potential is through the roof and his talent is obvious.

So when the season began, you could imagine how high the expectations for the 18-year-old gunslinger were. He struggled in his first start against FAU with just 114 yards on 10-of-24 completions with two interceptions -- one wasn't his fault. He followed that up with a fantastic performance against Maryland in a road win, throwing for 363 yards and three scores with two picks.

Those two games kind of embodied how the season has gone. He'll look like a superstar and then he'll make some incredibly ill-timed mistakes.

Just look at the Boston College and Oregon games. Against the Eagles, Chiles was getting ready to respond to a late touchdown with one of his own to win the game but instead of throwing the ball out of play to avoid a sack with under a minute left while driving, he tossed it into double coverage in the end zone for the game-sealing pick. Against Oregon, he had a chance to score the first touchdown of the game and set the tone, but he fumbled at the 1-yard-line.

These mistakes have compounded and have led to a 3-3 start when, in reality, Michigan State should be 4-2 with a couple of closer losses to Ohio State and Oregon.

And he knows that.

When speaking to the media on Tuesday, he said that he took his mind off football for a couple days during the bye and then immediately got back to work with his teammates, proclaiming that the second half of the year is like a clean slate. Their work is not even remotely done.

That whole media session was filled with great quotes showing that Chiles realizes his mistakes and has the right mindset moving forward.

My favorite statement was when he said that no matter how good or bad he's playing, he always thinks he can do better. And that's the kind of mindset I want from my starting quarterback. Never content and always hungry to grow and learn.

Michigan State is in good hands with Chiles under center.