We are less than two weeks away from the Illinois football program starting the 2026 campaign.
Shoot, some teams begin play this weekend. It is finally here, and that means programs are naming starting quarterbacks left and right.
On Monday, the team from up north, Northwestern, decided to name their starting quarterback for 2026. Pete Thamel of ESPN broke the news that Aidan Chiles will be leading the way for the Wildcats.
Sources: Northwestern has named Aidan Chiles the starting quarterback, and he’ll debut for the Wildcats against South Dakota State on Sept. 5. Chiles is a Michigan State Oregon State transfer with 4,126 yards and 27 passing TDs. pic.twitter.com/g8QevzYnjQ
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 24, 2026
This isn’t a surprise, as Chiles transferred into the program this offseason. He is a familiar name in the Big Ten, as he started at Oregon State in 2023 and then transferred to Michigan State for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns.
Chiles was the lead man for the Spartans for the past two seasons. He had a combined 4,116 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while in East Lansing.
Illinois will get Chiles and his Northwestern team the final game of the season, per tradition. Bret Bielema knows this quarterback and can game plan for him.
The Illini squared up against Chiles back in 2024 in the lone matchup between the two parties. We won the game 38-16, but Chiles did have some success. He completed 57.5% of his passes for 256 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also ran for 40 yards.
With that being said, at least we have tape from 2024 on Chiles' tendencies. We know what he likes to do. On top of that, Bielema will have 11 games of the season to see what Chiles has improved on with Northwestern.
Aidan Chiles is far from the scariest quarterback on the Illinois football schedule
Having someone as experienced as Chiles is a bit scary. He knows the college game, and just as much as we know him, he also knows Illinois. His success is something he could build on in 2026.
Illinois plays some good quarterbacks this season, though. Chiles is not the scariest. In fact, out of the 12 quarterbacks the Illini will face, Chiles threw the fourth-fewest touchdowns. He also had the fourth-fewest yards.
It is nice that Illinois can finish with a team like Northwestern. We know the program, we know the quarterback, and this will hopefully be the icing on a great 2026 campaign and a College Football Playoff bid.
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