Photo via Aaron Chiles, twitter
For Billy Napier and the Florida Gators, the month of June was one of the most fruitful recruiting months in recent memory. A total of nine recruits committed to Florida throughout the month, significantly bolstering both the 2024 Florida class and the perception of what Napier could do on the trail.
One of the more surprising commits was linebacker Aaron Chiles, a consensus high four-star prospect from the Maryland side of the Washington, DC area (Our Lady Good Counsel High School). Chiles was a linebacker who wasn’t even on most fans’ radar- he certainly wasn’t on our radar at In All Kinds Of Weather- and was assumed by most to be a Michigan Wolverine-to-be. But in the midst of that mid-June onslaught, Chiles pulled the trigger.
The addition of Aaron Chiles is monumental for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, the offer list tells a lot of the story. Quite literally every powerhouse school wanted this kid. Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami, FSU, LSU, USC, Notre Dame, and Penn State were among the suitors to land him. When you think of the great programs in college football, it’s hard to do so without each of those names appearing- and each of them went after him hard. In particular, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, and FSU went after him especially hard.
Thanks to a tremendous junior season in the fall of 2022 that saw him rack up 10 sacks and 15 total TFLs, Chiles’ stock soared and he began receiving an even higher level of interest from Michigan. Fast forward to mid-March, and buzz began to develop about him becoming a Wolverine, with multiple experts from both On3 and 247Sports predicting he’d play for Michigan.
But then Florida offered, turned up the pressure, and after Chiles spent a visit in Gainesville with RJ Moten- a former Wolverine himself- he was hooked, and committed that very weekend. That not only gives Florida a head-to-head victory over a universally regarded top prospect, but an upset victory at that.
So: what does Aaron Chiles bring to the table?
Trait number one is his versatility. As you can see from his tape, Chiles is supremely disruptive from a number of different spots on the field. He can line up as an edge rusher, he can line up as an outside linebacker, and he can even play the role of the MIKE linebacker in a defense- and he’s similarly destructive at each of them.
Trait number two is the impressive blend of instincts and intelligence. Aaron Chiles is excellent at narrowing down how many plays an opponent runs out of each formation, meaning there are only five or six possible plays that will be run as opposed to sixty. Post-snap, that allows him to fly to the ball and blow up the play for either a loss or minimal gain. He’s just got a sixth sense for detecting plays before they develop.
Then there are the physical traits he brings to the table. Chiles is extremely quick in short bursts and has the long-range speed needed to flag down ball carriers from behind. He’s physical enough to deliver highlight-reel hits, but more often will simply make the sure and easy tackle. As a linebacker, he’s great at navigating through the garbage in order to get to the ball carrier, and his ability to shed blocks translates well as a blitzing edge rusher, too.
If there’s a weakness with Aaron Chiles, it’s probably his coverage skills, which the modern game of football is demanding more and more. His technique there could probably use some work. But his lateral quickness and instincts could give him a boost when it comes time to go to coverage school once he enrolls at Florida.
All things considered, Chiles is an elite prospect with one of the best minds for the game of any defensive player in this entire class. Guys like DJ Lagway, Jamonta Waller, Myles Graham, and Xavier Filsaime are going to get most of the attention as far as headliners in this class, but while Aaron Chiles doesn’t have that five-star rating, he’s got the potential to play like one in Gainesville.
