Alessio Milivojevic is ready to run it back with Michigan State football.
Milivojevic wrote Thursday night on social media “Run it back.”
It’s an important player retained by new coach Pat Fitzgerald, hired Monday.
Milivojevic, a redshirt freshman in 2025, emerged to overtake Aidan Chiles for the starting job during MSU’s eight-game losing streak, nearly pulling off road wins at Minnesota and Iowa before finally getting his first victory in the finale Saturday night against Maryland to send coach Jonathan Smith off with a 38-28 win. Smith was fired one day later after two seasons.
While both quarterbacks endured massive pressure all season, Milivojevic showed the pocket presence to stand in and deliver throws while taking hits the elusive runner Chiles didn’t.
Assuming Chiles leaves for his final year of eligibility after sitting out the final three games, MSU needed to have experience under center for Year 1 of the transition.
Milivojevic threw 10 touchdowns to three interceptions in four starts and nine appearances this season for MSU (4-8), and rushed for one score. He was 111-for-173 (64.2% completion) for 1,267 passing yards.
Milivojevic, 6 feet 2, 218 pounds from Naperville, Illinois, was a three-star recruit in the 2024 class and No. 41 QB in his class, according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
MSU on Wednesday signed four-star quarterback Kayd Coffman from East Kentwood to its 2026 class, ranked 46th in the nation despite Smith’s firing.
An interesting side note: Fitzgerald helped as a volunteer coach with his sons’ Loyola Academy high school football program the past three seasons in Wilmette, Illinois. One of their Catholic League rivals? St. Francis High in Wheaton – coached by Milivojevic’s father, Ivan.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alessio Milivojevic to run it back with Michigan State, Pat Fitzgerald
Reporting by Chris Solari and Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
