Jonathan Smith, an Oregon State alumnus, left his alma mater high and dry after losing the final game of the 2023 season. The loss to Oregon eliminated the Beavers from Pac-12 Championship and New Year’s Six bowl contention, and marked Smith’s final game as head coach.
He left Corvallis for the same job at Michigan State.
Quite a few players, including D.J. Uiagalelei, felt betrayed by Smith and vilified him for revealing his true colors during his first interview in East Lansing. Among them was Aidan Chiles.
Chiles, a four-star prospect, was considered to be one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the college football recruiting Class of 2023. His commitment marked a monumental moment in program history.
It was a big deal.
Once Smith left, Chiles posted a video in which he revealed how he truly felt. The lyrics to the included song said “you did me wrong, such a shame on you.”
Apparently, Smith and Chiles have since made amends. The latter entered the transfer portal at the beginning of December and later committed to be his former and now-current coach’s quarterback of the future with the Spartans.
It is interesting how quickly Chiles changed his tune on Smith!
A man who did him wrong, who he shamed on social media less than one month ago, is back in his good graces. Chiles went from disparaging Smith to playing for Smith in a matter of weeks.
While it is not uncommon for a head coach to take his old players with him to a new school in the transfer portal era, this particular saga is rather strange. It feels rather contradictory.
Why was Chiles so quick to throw shade at Smith if there was any possibility that he would turn right around and join him? Is Chiles not doing the very same thing that his head coach did to him to his Beavers teammates?
If Jonathan Smith was shamed for leaving Oregon State for Michigan State, Aidan Chiles is no different. There should not be any shame to begin with, but if that’s going to happen, it goes both ways!