Aidan Chiles Is The Most Talented Quarterback At Oregon State

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

Spring games can get overblown. But sometimes a performance is worth noting, even in a glorified scrimmage.

In the case of Oregon State on Saturday that performance came courtesy Aidan Chiles, the Beavs 17-year-old freshman quarterback. He’s pushing transfer DJ Uiagalalei and returning QB Ben Gulbranson for the starting job this fall.

While many assume it’s a two-man race between DJ and Gulbranson, John Canzano was at Reser Stadium and says Chiles has more natural talent than his competition.

“I really do think that this race between DJ, Gulbranson, and Chiles is wide open right now,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “I left thinking, ‘Hey, who’s the most talented player? That’s easy. It’s Aidan Chiles. He’s the most talented player amongst those three.

“Anybody who watched the scrimmage came away going ‘Wow! Chiles is the best runner and the best passer among the quarterbacks.'”

Canzano said it isn’t difficult to see why Chiles is the future — and maybe the present — at OSU.

“He’s got the arm. The ball comes out of his hand differently. He looks every bit a kid who can play in the NFL someday with that arm. I asked (the OSU coaches), is he making big mistakes in practice? Like maybe we’re not seeing it in the spring game? And they all shook their head and said ‘no.'”

After acquiring Uiagalelei in the transfer portal, it seemed like the Beavers annual QB question was solved. But Chiles is throwing a wrinkle in that assumption.

“Play DJ, redshirt Chiles, and have Gulbranson as your backup? Right? That seemed to be on paper the plan,” Canzano said. “But I think that right now is all up in the air.”

Canzano asked OSU coach Jonathan Smith what the plan is going to be.

“Smith told me after the scrimmage, I said ‘Will you start the most talented player?’ Cause if that’s the answer. It’s Chiles.

“He stopped me and said ‘Our starting quarterback will be the guy who gives the team the best chance of winning games’.”

Listen to the segment on the Beavers and Aidan Chiles at the 10:25 mark of the podcast below. And catch John Canzano delivering the Bald Faced Truth afternoons 3-6 p.m. exclusively in Portland on 750 The Game.

@Steven_Von