Less than half way through the 2024 season, Michigan State has already seen momentum sway like trees in the wind with each performance. After starting 3-0, the team is in the midst of maybe its toughest stretch of the year following back-to-back losses to Boston College and Ohio State, respectively, with a road trip to Eugene to play Oregon coming up this Friday. The Spartans will then have a bye week, followed by a game at home against Iowa On Oct. 19 and a rivalry matchup at Michigan on Oct. 26.

From the outside, feelings about what this team is and can be, change by week.

All too often does the burden of a downward season stretch fall on the quarterback, but it is the nature of the game. Fair or not, the weight of the Michigan State program has been placed on sophomore Aidan Chiles’ shoulders, who just turned 19 years old in September. While confidence hasn’t wavered in the young man since he stepped on campus, he’s beginning to understand that it’s important to lean on his team during the good and the bad.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep the energy up and keep the team going, but I have to realize that it’s not all on me," Chiles said after a long pause when asked about what he’s learned the most about himself this season.

Part of being a great leader is stepping back when necessary. As a true freshman last season for Oregon State, Chiles saw limited action as a backup, but played in key spots over the course of the year. He perhaps felt the need to prove himself more in those moments and that mindset could have possibly carried over to this year, now with Michigan State. But now as the “guy” for the Spartans, he can breathe a bit.

“I felt a lot calmer in the pocket,” Chiles said when asked about his progression from Week One to now. “I feel like the game is getting a little slower for me, which is something I wanted to work on. I’m still growing and processing everything.”