Why MSU's Alessio Milivojevic Will Be Better Than People Think
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I think there should be more excitement around Michigan State's new QB1 than there is right now.
One might remember all the fanfare Aidan Chiles got when he transferred to MSU from Oregon State a couple of years ago. That's not to say the idea of Chiles in East Lansing wasn't very exciting at the time, but it may have been a little much for somebody who hadn't started a game in college yet, in hindsight.
Michigan State fans got a glimpse of Alessio Milivojevic at the tail end of last season. He started the last four games of the year after Jonathan Smith's staff looked to inject some life into the team. While Milivojevic went just 1-3 in those starts, he probably should've gone 3-1, and the numbers he put up were quite impressive.
Milivojevic threw for nearly 1,000 yards across his four starts with seven touchdowns and just two interceptions as a redshirt freshman. Despite that flash of potential, Milivojevic seems to be expected to be one of the worst quarterbacks in the Big Ten and the Power Four, for whatever reason.
Milivojevic's Mark Nationally
Maybe it's because he's young and relatively inexperienced; maybe it's because it's difficult to spell "Milivojevic," but those who cover college football on a national scale aren't so high on Milivojevic.
Zach Koons of Sports Illustrated ranked Milivojevic 62nd out of 68 Power Four starting quarterbacks back on July 27. Brad Crawford at CBS has Milivojevic as the fourth-worst starting quarterback in the Big Ten.
Those articles above have Milivojevic ranked below Chiles, the guy whose job Milivojevic took last fall.
I'm not going to sit here and say "Milivojevic for Heisman," but I think his play last season commands a little more respect than what he's receiving right now. There are a couple of other reasons why I think he'll catch the nation by surprise this year, too:
Hiring of Nick Sheridan
The thing I liked most on Nick Sheridan's resume when Pat Fitzgerald picked him as the team's next offensive coordinator was his history with quarterbacks. For a sizeable portion of Sheridan's career, he's been working with quarterbacks who would eventually make it to the NFL.
Sheridan's previous stop was Alabama, where he was the OC and quarterbacks coach. He was the Crimson Tide's primary playcaller in 2024 while Jalen Milroe was 'Bama's starter. Milroe was picked in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The next year, Sheridan worked with Ty Simpson -- he got picked 13th overall this year by the LA Rams.
Those are just the recent names. Sheridan also worked with future top-10 pick Michael Penix Jr. at Indiana. He was also on the staff at Washington while Penix broke out there, but only as the tight ends coach. Before that, Sheridan worked with Joshua Dobbs at Tennessee as a graduate assistant, and he also coached Mike White as the pass game coordinator and QB coach at South Florida.
Sheridan is just the offensive coordinator at Michigan State, though. The quarterbacks coach, John McNulty, has served as quarterbacks coach for three NFL teams and as offensive coordinator and/or QB coach at two different college programs. Between Sheridan and McNulty, Milivojevic has a ton of experience and knowledge in his corner.
New-and-Improved Offensive Line
The offensive line play will be one of the most important determining factors in how MSU's season goes this year. Michigan State allowed 37 sacks last season, one behind Rutgers for the most in the entire Big Ten. Milivojevic was sacked 16 times last year, tied for the 10th-most among quarterbacks in the conference despite starting just four games. He got sacked seven times in his first career start at Minnesota alone.
There isn't much of a direction for Michigan State to go in the trenches but up. Fitzgerald made rebuilding the offensive line a top priority this offseason. Three of the Spartans' starters there this year are newcomers from the transfer portal.
Part of the reason I think the offensive line will be better this year is just that it kind of has to be. Fitzgerald's Mark Dantonio-esque identity that he's trying to re-establish at MSU won't come to fruition if the offensive line isn't up to par. You can't say you're "tough" if you're averaging 3.78 yards per carry (where the Spartans finished last year) or if your quarterback is on the ground every few plays.
The individual pieces seem to be there. Those previously mentioned portal additions are Ben Murawski (UConn), Trent Fraley (North Dakota State), and Nick Sharpe (South Carolina). "Big Ben" Murawski was one of the highest-ranked additions for Michigan State this offseason. Fraley won the FCS Rimington Award last year for best center. Sharpe also brings a ton of size and starting experience from the SEC and the ACC at Wake Forest.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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