When Aidan Chiles followed Jonathan Smith to East Lansing, it felt like a new era of Michigan State football was about to save the program from sliding even further into irrelevance.
Chiles was considered the No. 1 quarterback in the transfer portal by 247Sports, and the excitement surrounding him under center in East Lansing was through the roof. He was the most naturally-gifted all-around quarterback that Michigan State had landed since probably Connor Cook — at least that’s what many thought.
Unfortunately, he just never panned out at Michigan State, starting the 2024 and 2025 seasons strong before fizzling out. He eventually lost his starting job to Alessio Milivojevic this season.
So when Smith was fired following the win over Maryland, everyone expected Chiles to be one of the first names in the transfer portal.
That hasn’t been the case as about a dozen Spartans have decided to enter their names into the portal, but there had been no news on the junior quarterback.
That changed on Monday afternoon.
Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles will be entering the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN. Chiles is a true junior who has one year of eligibility remaining. Chiles, 20, played in 30 games over three combined seasons at Michigan State and Oregon State. pic.twitter.com/2ikpGOqmjO
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 15, 2025
Chiles will now be tasked with trying to find a new home where he can both start and play for a program that can get enough attention to improve his draft stock.
Moving on from the Aidan Chiles era is bittersweet
Chiles came to Michigan State with a ton of expectations, and experts pegged him as one of the best quarterbacks in the portal and a guy who could legitimately be a first-round pick.
That just never came to fruition during his Michigan State years.
Still, he was a fan favorite early on, and then he won the fanbase over again after beating Boston College in overtime with some tremendous throws and runs throughout the game. He looked to be having his revenge tour in 2025, but then he took a hit against Nebraska and never really looked the same. He reverted back to his turnover-prone self, and eventually lost his job.
Chiles was still a likable guy who gave his all to Michigan State and didn’t quit on the team when he lost his starting job. He supported Milivojevic and was cheering on his team even while sidelined with an injury that essentially ended his Michigan State career.
While he didn’t work out as a quarterback in East Lansing, he was a solid leader and a great teammate who did all he could but he didn’t get the personnel help or the coaching he deserved.
It’s not shocking to see him go, but hopefully he lands at the right place.