Aidan Chiles is flourishing at Northwestern after a turbulent tenure in East Lansing, forcing the Spartans to reconsider their decision to prioritize Alessio Milivojevic’s steady development.
A former Michigan State quarterback is lighting up college football to start the 2026 season, and his early success is beginning to raise an uncomfortable question for the Spartans.
Did Michigan State give up on Aidan Chiles too soon?
Chiles transferred to Michigan State after playing nine games at Oregon State, following former Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith to East Lansing. The pairing was supposed to help lead the Spartans back to relevance.
Instead, neither Smith nor Chiles could live up to the expectations surrounding their arrival.
Chiles Never Found His Footing at Michigan State
During his first season with the Spartans, Chiles threw for more than 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, he also threw 11 interceptions as Michigan State struggled to consistently find its footing.
There were flashes of the talent that made Chiles such an intriguing prospect. His arm talent was evident, and his ability to make plays with his legs added another dimension to his game.
But consistency remained an issue.
The following season, Chiles' decision-making became a major source of frustration for Michigan State fans. As the mistakes piled up, so did the criticism.
Eventually, the Spartans turned to backup quarterback Alessio Milivojevic.
The move changed the trajectory of the season.
Milivojevic started the final four games and gave Michigan State a spark. The Spartans competed throughout those games and picked up their only Big Ten victory of the season with Milivojevic under center.
Once Michigan State saw what it had in its young quarterback, the direction of the program became much clearer.
A New Era in East Lansing
Michigan State moved on from Smith and hired former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald then made the decision to build around Milivojevic, helping convince the young quarterback to remain with the program rather than enter the transfer portal.
That effectively left Chiles without the starting job he had held for the previous two seasons.
Chiles entered the transfer portal and ultimately landed at Northwestern, where he would have another opportunity to establish himself as a starting quarterback.
Now, that decision is looking much more complicated.
Through the opening month of the 2026 season, Chiles has thrown for 807 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions for the Wildcats.
His most impressive performance came against defending national champion Indiana.
Chiles threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns while posting a 183.5 passer rating, keeping Northwestern within striking distance throughout a 28-23 loss.
That performance offered a glimpse of the quarterback Michigan State believed it was getting when Chiles first arrived in East Lansing.
Did Michigan State Give Up Too Soon?
The easy conclusion would be to say Michigan State made a mistake by moving on from Chiles.
But the situation is more complicated than that.
The Spartans had already seen Chiles struggle with consistency, while Milivojevic provided a different level of stability when given his opportunity. With Fitzgerald taking over the program, Michigan State had a chance to build around a younger quarterback rather than give Chiles one more season to prove himself.
At the same time, Chiles' early success at Northwestern raises legitimate questions about what might have been.
Was the problem Chiles himself, or was he simply never put in the best position to succeed at Michigan State?
It is impossible to know exactly how his career would have developed under a different offensive system. But his production at Northwestern certainly suggests there was more ability there than Michigan State was able to consistently unlock.
That also puts more attention on Smith's tenure in East Lansing.
Smith went 4-15 during his time as Michigan State's head coach before the program moved in a different direction. Chiles' struggles were part of a larger offensive problem during that period, and his resurgence elsewhere provides another reason to examine how the former staff utilized his skill set.
For Michigan State, however, the decision ultimately wasn't simply about choosing Chiles or Milivojevic.
It was about choosing the direction of the program.
And right now, Milivojevic looks like he could be exactly what the Spartans needed.
That doesn't mean Chiles wasn't talented enough to succeed in East Lansing.
In fact, his performance at Northwestern may be proving the opposite.
Michigan State may have moved on at the right time for the program, while still missing an opportunity to see what Chiles could have become in a different system.
Both things can be true.
And as Chiles continues to produce in Evanston, Michigan State fans will naturally wonder just how different his career could have looked if the Spartans had found a way to unlock that talent sooner.
