Michigan Statequarterback transfer Aidan Chiles has committed to Northwestern, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, giving the Wildcats a potential centerpiece for the offense under new coordinator Chip Kelly.
Chiles, who started 20 games the past two seasons at Michigan State, visited Northwestern on Monday night and Tuesday before making his decision.
He will have one year of eligibility remaining with Northwestern, which revamped its offensive staff following a 7-6 season. Wildcats starter Preston Stone is out of eligibility, and backup Ryan Boe has limited experience.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Chiles has 4,116 career passing yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He began his college career atOregon Stateand appeared in nine games in 2023 before joining coach Jonathan Smith at Michigan State.
Northwestern brought in Kelly, the former coach ofOregon,UCLAand two NFL teams, and most recentlyLas Vegas Raidersoffensive coordinator, to oversee a unit that averaged just 23.4 points per game in 2025.
The school also hired Jerry Neuheisel, a longtime UCLA assistant who took over as Bruins offensive playcaller for most of the 2025 season, to coach quarterbacks.
Chiles started for MSU throughout the 2024 season and began 2025 as the team’s top quarterback, before being replaced by Alessio Milivojevic in November. A Long Beach, Calif., native, Chiles was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023 and enrolled early at Oregon State.
Copyright © 2026 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.