How Michigan State Has Found Long-Term QB Stability

After two seasons of Aidan Chiles under center, Michigan State is turning the page at quarterback. Pat Fitzgerald and his staff have named Alessio Milivojevic the starting quarterback heading into the upcoming season, a decision that was earned rather than handed to him.

Milivojevic took over the starting role during the final four games of last season and played well enough against Minnesota to hold off Chiles and claim the job outright. Beyond this season, his youth works in the Spartans' favor. As a redshirt sophomore, Milivojevic has the potential to be Michigan State's starter for multiple seasons, giving the program a level of continuity at the position it has been searching for.

Michigan State's Alessio Milivojevic throws a pass during spring football practice on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even with Milivojevic entrenched as the starter, Fitzgerald was able to retain a key piece of the 2026 recruiting class he inherited from Jonathan Smith. 4-star quarterback Kayd Coffman is expected to redshirt his true freshman season, but he has the talent and the makeup to develop into a legitimate starter at Michigan State down the road.

With two promising young quarterbacks now in the fold, here is a closer look at both players and what they bring to the Spartans' future at the position.

Alessio Milivojevic

Milivojevic is entering his third season at Michigan State. He arrived as a 3-star recruit in the 2024 class, widely projected as a player who would need a year to develop before seeing the field. He did exactly that, sitting out his true freshman season while Chiles held the starting job.

Last season, Milivojevic saw spot action before getting his first career start against Minnesota, stepping in after Chiles struggled to find consistency throughout the year. He made the most of the opportunity, turning in a strong performance against the Gophers and holding on to the starting role for the remainder of the season.

The Spartans went just 1-3 over those final four games, but the record does not tell the full story of Milivojevic's individual performance. He threw for over 250 yards in three of those four games and finished the stretch with nine touchdown passes and just two interceptions. What stood out most was his composure.

Milivojevic showed good pocket awareness throughout, kept his eyes downfield under pressure, and looked genuinely comfortable running an offense at the college level. Those are traits that cannot be coached easily, and they are exactly what Fitzgerald needs from his quarterback going forward.

Kayd Coffman

Coffman was the fourth-highest-ranked commit in Michigan State's 2026 recruiting class, checking in at 203rd overall nationally, 13th among all quarterbacks in the class, and fourth among all players in the state of Michigan. Those numbers reflect a player who arrived with legitimate expectations.

Since coming to East Lansing and participating in team practices, Coffman has impressed the coaching staff most with his football intelligence. For a true freshman, his ability to absorb the playbook and translate what he learns in the meeting room to the practice field has drawn notable attention from the position coaches around him.

Quarterbacks coach John McNulty spoke directly about that quality after watching Coffman work through the spring.

"You get [the quiz] back, and it's word-for-word, exactly what you said in the meeting, every word..." McNulty said. "He's able to take it to the field as well. For a young guy, he really has a good feel for the game."

That kind of football IQ at such an early stage of his college career is an encouraging sign. A redshirt season will give Coffman time to add strength and refine his mechanics without the pressure of competing for immediate playing time, setting him up to push for the starting role in future seasons.

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