Aidan Chiles is joining his former coach at Michigan State.
Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the quarterback is transferring from Oregon State to play for Jonathan Smith, who was hired by Michigan State in November. Chiles spent his true freshman season as the Beavers' backup to D.J. Uiagalelei.
Chiles played limited snaps in nine games, passing for 309 yards and four touchdowns on 35 attempts. He also collected 79 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
A former 4-star prospect according to 247Sports' composite rankings, Chiles will continue his career with Smith, who was Oregon State's head coach from 2018 through this season.
Chiles, who is from Downey, California, will be eligible immediately and will enroll in January, according to Thamel. Chiles is one of Michigan State's first big additions as Smith looks to turn the struggling program around.
The Spartans have not reached bowl eligibility in the past two seasons, going 4-8 in 2023. Former head coach Mel Tucker was fired for cause in September after an investigation for sexual misconduct.
Following Tucker's departure, all of Michigan State's scholarship quarterbacks entered the transfer portal at the end of the season, leaving Smith and the Spartans with uncertainty heading into the offseason.
Now with a solid starting quarterback option, the Spartans have a foundation to begin Smith's tenure.
Smith showed his confidence in Chiles all throughout his freshman season, naming him the backup quarterback over Ben Gulbranson. Smith gave Chiles limited snaps in wins over Utah and UCLA and a loss against Washington.
Chiles, who turned 18 in September recognized that trust and didn't take it for granted.
"I knew he trusted in me, simply because I'm 17 and I'm getting a lot of reps I shouldn't be getting," Chiles told Thamel. "I saw that they believed in me, he's putting me out there. He trusts me to go win this third drive and put up some points."
Chiles got his footing under Smith at Oregon State. Now, he's looking to lead Michigan State's offense in the first year of the Smith era.
