Amidst an offseason already full of high-profile moves from Northwestern, Tuesday night’s news of former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles’ transfer commitment to NU may prove to be the most exciting so far.
As Chiles might step in as the Wildcats’ primary signal-caller, he could relieve the team of its woes from graduate student Preston Stone’s interception-ridden 2025 campaign. While the dual-threat quarterback’s 3,807 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 21 games with the Spartans don’t jump off the page, NU fans should expect more from coach David Braun and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s supposed number one offseason target, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
For one, Chiles’ physical talents should be the main source of enthusiasm for ’Cats fans. The most promising aspect of the current junior’s game is undoubtedly his rushing ability. His 25.2 yards per game on the ground was good for seventh in the Big Ten, and his six touchdowns were tied for second despite not playing in three games. Chiles was consistently used on designed runs in the red zone last season and led the Spartans in rushing touchdowns.
Chiles also has the arm strength to hit 20-yard out routes from the far hash marks and can put enough zip on the ball to fit it into tight windows. NU’s new quarterback has more tools in his kit than Stone, making it easier to structure a passing offense around his talents.
In a 45-31 loss to USC last season, Chiles’ pocket presence stood out. Numerous times throughout the game, he was able to evade Trojan pass rushers and maneuver the pocket to buy himself more time or leave it to escape would-be sacks. When he gets outside the pocket, he has enough arm talent to make accurate throws on the run.
Chiles did admittedly take 21 sacks in eight full games, but that can be chalked up more to the quality of Michigan State’s offensive line rather than the signal caller, especially considering the team averaged 3.5 sacks a game in the four contests that he didn’t start last season.
Chiles had only three interceptions in the eight full games he played this season, showing that he is capable of playing clean, turnover-free football.
If Chiles can protect the ball the same way at NU, he could fuel improved outcomes for the team. Last season, in games where Stone didn’t commit a turnover, the ’Cats were 5-2, but in games where he did, they went 2-4.
NU typically relied on the run game when facing Big Ten opponents to prevent them from turning the ball over. In the seven games where Stone didn’t turn the ball over, five were against Big Ten opponents. But in those five games, he only eclipsed 200 yards through the air once and averaged exactly one touchdown per game, while the rushing attack averaged 145.8 yards. The offense succeeded and the turnovers went down when Stone was reeled back.
In no game was this more apparent than in the landmark win at Penn State, where Stone’s passing diet consisted almost entirely of screens and quick checkdowns. Redshirt junior running back Joseph Himon II and redshirt sophomore running back Caleb Komolafe combined for five of Stone’s 17 completions and junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde was the only wide receiver who had a reception go for more than 10 yards.
With Chiles under center, his rushing ability offers ’Cats more options to keep the offense from stalling. He gashed defenses for 452 yards and nine scores on the ground during his time for the Spartans.
Chiles’ legs will be an added option to an already strong NU rushing attack, especially in goal-to-go situations. Meanwhile, NU’s offensive line is vastly superior to Michigan State’s, which should help Chiles in the option game.
From an X’s-and-O’s standpoint, the current junior excels in the play-action passing game, something that the ’Cats found lots of success in this past season. Teams will need to respect the run, making play fakes that much more potent next season.
Chiles’ athleticism should also open up the playbook for Kelly, as there shouldn’t be a need to rely on checkdowns and short throws next season because Chiles has the arm strength to stretch the field. Kelly should be able to make use of the full route tree with a quarterback who can make every throw.
The pairing of Kelly and Chiles is especially exciting, as Kelly is no stranger to coaching mobile quarterbacks. In his Oregon days, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ran for 660-plus yards and 10-plus touchdowns in back-to-back seasons while Kelly coached one of the nation’s top offenses. In the NFL, Kelly worked with Michael Vick and Colin Kaepernick.
Admittedly, it would be silly to pretend like Chiles is a perfect quarterback. He was in the portal for a reason, after all. For all of the physical traits of NU’s new signal caller, he is terribly inconsistent.
He can be inaccurate even in a clean pocket with both feet set. He often struggles to hit the deep ball, and his vision is lacking in both the running and passing game. When throwing under pressure, his sometimes streaky accuracy becomes even less reliable.
But what the NU coaching staff sees in Chiles is upside. It felt like the 2025 iteration of the NU football team was on the doorstep of an eight, nine or even 10-win season.
Now, Kelly and Braun are putting their faith in Chiles to bridge that gap.
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Related Stories:
— Football: Former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles commits to Northwestern
— Football: Northwestern names Chip Kelly as next offensive coordinator
— Football: Stone, Wilde end their season on a high note in 34-7 win versus Central Michigan
