Report: Where MSU's Aidan Chiles Ranks Going into Next Season

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 12, 2025 4:28 PM ET

A lot of eyes will be on Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles as he looks to build on his first season as a full-time starter.

Chiles didn't live up to the expectations that surrounded him heading into his first season in East Lansing, but with a full year of starting experience under his belt, many will be interested to see if he's able to make a leap and elevate the Spartans to new heights.

Chiles was ranked 39th in 247Sports' Brad Crawford's list of top 50 quarterbacks in college football. For comparison purposes, Michigan's incoming five-star quarterback, Bryce Underwood, was ranked five spots ahead of him.

"Handpicked to join Jonathan Smith with the Spartans amid the coaching regime change, Chiles showed off impressive arm talent but was too careless with the football at times," Crawford wrote. "Decreasing mistakes should lead to a big season from the talented signal-caller."

Chiles will have a plethora of receiving options around him, including sophomore wideout Nick Marsh, one of the top second-year receivers in all of college football.

The Spartans added several receivers from the transfer portal, a few -- Chrishon McCray, Omari Kelly and Rodney Bullard Jr. -- of which are expected to have big impacts.

"You bring in experienced guys; Omari has played a lot of football, and he's had a lot of production," Michigan State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said last month. "We've been working him more at the Z position, and man, I have been really impressed. He's made a couple of really good plays on some one-on-one balls in the red zone today.

"Rod Bullard, man, he's done some good things with speed. I think he can play inside and outside. McCray, he's probably been more in the slot, but man, another guy that is pretty dynamic with the ball in his hands. He's made some plays on some plays with the ball down the field."

As far as Chiles' game goes, the staff has taken the necessary steps to improve what needed to be fixed.

"I think last year was a great learning opportunity for him [Chiles],"Lindgren said. "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.'"

By the end of the 2025 season, it wouldn't be a surprise if Chiles significantly rises above many of those ahead of him on Crawford's list.

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

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