MSU Football Already Seeing Improvement With Chiles

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 1:21 PM ET

Year 1 in East Lansing wasn't exactly ideal for Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles, who struggled to find consistency as a young, first-year starter under center.

The fanbase and program know that if that gets resolved, the sky can be the limit for Chiles, who now enters Year 2 with even higher expectations placed on him than when he first committed to Michigan State.

Fortunately for the Spartan faithful, Michigan State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, who was Chiles' position coach last season and the year prior at Oregon State, has already noticed improvement so far in spring ball.

"I think last year was a great learning opportunity for him [Chiles]," Lindgren said on Tuesday. "I think things just didn't go as smoothly and as much success as he was hoping for. But I think he's had an awesome attitude of like, hey, he's hungry to 'Hey, these are the areas I got to really improve on.'

"I think some of the pieces that we brought in up front and on the perimeter, some of these experienced guys on the outside that have some productivity I think are going to help him, along with Nick [Marsh] and some of the returners that we got going. So, being better around him.

Lindgren highlighted what areas have been emphasized with Chiles as far as bettering his game.

"We've really been on him as far as understanding defenses, being able to ID these defenses and understand where the weaknesses are and how to attack them," Lindgren said. "I think that helps -- as a quarterback going into your second year -- helps things slow down for you a little bit that way.

There were many times last season when Chiles would overthrow his targets, showcasing his arm but without the accuracy. Lindgren said the staff has been working on improving "his clock, his footwork time" as a method of fixing that.

"I think last year, he was a little bit off at times," Lindgren said. "And that really affected some of the accuracy and the timing of things."

Chiles can be a threat on his feet, a nightmare for opposing defenses, but there were moments he lacked patience last season. Then again, that can partially be attributed to what was an underwhelming offensive line.

"Sometimes, he was a little extreme," Lindgren said, "and if the first read wasn't there, he either got himself in a not a very good position where he wasn't able to get to the second and third read in his progression; he was just kind of bailing out, I think scrambling too quick and then, missed out on some opportunities that way."

What's most important is the fact that Chiles is aware of it all.

"He's seen that stuff on film, and I just love the attitude that he's had moving forward," Lindgren said. "And I mean, I'm excited for him. I feel like he's gotten a lot better through the first seven practices."

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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