Could Aidan Chiles Be A Fit for Virginia Tech at Quarterback?

Chiles spent his last two campaigns with Michigan State.

Nov 1, 2025; Minneapolis, Minn.; Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) warms up before the game against Minnesota. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech football is on the search for its new starting quarterback. Kyron Drones is out of eligibility following his redshirt senior campaign in 2025; consequently, the Hokies now turn to either their internal pool or a far more likely proposition: the transfer portal. One option that could be an intriguing choice for the Hokies is Michigan State transfer Aidan Chiles.

The senior will have one year of eligibility remaining, enabling Chiles to play out the 2026 campaign for whatever school he transfers to. Chiles does still have a redshirt available at his disposal.

NEW: Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports. https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/i7YNSpVFO6

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 15, 2025

Some statistics:

Chiles was one of the most decorated high-school quarterbacks that is now in the transfer portal — entering from the Class of 2024, 247Sports ranked Chiles as the No. 58 player in the nation and No. 7, both in the quarterback corps and in the state of California.

Chiles began his collegiate career at Oregon State, where he played in nine games in his freshman year, negating his redshirt. In that period, Chiles went 24-for-35 for 309 passing yards, four passing touchdowns (seven total), no interceptions and four sacks. Chiles had one game where he threw for more than eight completions, which was a 9-for-13, 74-yard day against UC Davis.

Following his freshman season, Chiles transferred to Michigan State. Chiles started every game his sophomore year, though it got out to a rocky start. Against Florida Atlantic in the season opener, the Spartans escaped with a 16-10 victory; Chiles completed 10 of his 24 passes for 114 yards, no passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

A week later, Chiles improved to 363 yards and three touchdowns, though he threw for two picks in a 27-24 victory over Maryland. Michigan State ultimately stumbled after a 40-0 victory over Prairie View, dropping six of its next seven wins. In that stretch, Chiles threw under 200 passing yards in four contests as the Spartans suffered losses to Boston College, then-No. 3 Ohio State, then-No. 6 Oregon, Michigan, then-No. 13 Michigan and Illinois. In total, Chiles completed 192 of his 323 (59.4%) passes in his first year as a starter, throwing for 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and averaging just over 201 yards a game.

This past year, Chiles was occasionally strong but often inconsistent. He was again the starter and the team jumped out to another 3-0 start, albeit one made difficult by a 42-40 double-overtime victory over ACC bottom-feeder Boston College. Chiles threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns against the Eagles, though he took four sacks. Following the Spartans' undefeated non-conference slate, Michigan State did not win again with Chiles playing under center; the team suffered losses to then-No. 25 Southern California, Nebraska, UCLA, then-No. 3 Indiana and then-No. 25 Michigan.

Following Michigan State's final non-conference win, a 41-24 victory over Youngstown State, Chiles did not tally any outing with over 250 passing yards, failing to eclipse 100 yards twice.

In his abbreviated campaign, Chiles completed 128 of his 203 (63.1%) passes, notched 10 touchdowns, surrendered three interceptions and tallied six rushing touchdowns alongside 227 rushing yards. Following the Michigan game, Chiles did not return for the duration of the season due to injury.

Chiles, now 20 years old, enters the transfer portal as the 38th-highest player on 247Sports and the No. 8 quarterback.

My thoughts:

Chiles has varied experience; this next school he selects will be his third in four years. That's partially why I'm wary of the Hokies taking a chance on Chiles, especially when Michigan State went 4-8 and won only one of its Big 10 contests this past season.

To be fair, most of the noise around Chiles comes from the flashes he showed in 2024. In the right environment, particularly a pro-style system that emphasizes timing and reads, he could absolutely thrive. The arm talent is there — at times. The issue is the volatility. The highs are occasionally enticing, but the valleys were just as pronounced. That inconsistency is hard to overlook for a Virginia Tech program that desperately needs clarity under quarterback to kick off the James Franklin era.

When you factor in Virginia Tech’s ability to be competitive financially in the portal, thanks to the financial injection over the next four fiscal years, it feels reasonable to expect a bit more certainty. Chiles wouldn’t be a disastrous fallback option, and there are worse safety nets to have at the position. Still, if he ended up being the best the Hokies could land, I think it would feel underwhelming given the broader landscape and the alternatives likely available.