MSU's Chiles Gives Praiseful Take on Backup QB Milivojevic
When it comes to Michigan State football, Aidan Chiles is probably the most prominent household name for Spartan fans.
That, of course, doesn't leave a whole lot of room for fans to focus on the rest of the quarterback room, the group whose depth is more important than any other room on the team.
This year, Chiles' backup is likely going to be redshirt freshman Alessio Milivojevic, a guy who appeared in just one game last year as the Spartans' third-string quarterback.
"He showed pretty good maturity for a freshman as far as picking it up and being comfortable with it," said offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren last week. "And then very accurate with his throwing. I felt like he was able to find a lot of completions and did a nice job in the scrimmages.
Lindgren said there was a confidence that Milivojevic could be relied on if called upon, even as a freshman.
"We felt like at that point in time, he would have given us the best chance if we were to get to the third spot," Lindgren said.
The fact that that faith was developed early on is key, considering Milivojevic would likely be Option B if the Spartans were to need him this coming season. And Chiles thinks he would be capable of rising to the occasion.
"I think Alessio has grown a lot since last year," Chiles said. "I really love Alessio. God forbid anything happen to me, but if Alessio takes the reigns, I think he could do it. I believe in Alessio 100 percent.
"Alessio's a great quarterback and I always tell him, I feel like you could be the best quarterback to come out of here, because he's that good."
Chiles expanded on his praise for the young quarterback.
"Nothing bothers him [Milivojevic]," he said. "I feel like we think similar in a lot of ways. Seeing Alessio play football, it's beautiful to watch. When he's out there with twos and threes and he's just balling, he plays so freely and it's an amazing thing to see.
"It reminds me of just somebody who knows what's going on, and they know what you're going to do before you even get out there, and they go play football. I just love seeing Alessio play, it's fun to watch."
Milivojevic was a three-star prospect from Illinois. Michigan State was one of few Power Four programs to have offered him.
Perhaps it landed a diamond in the rough.
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