Spartans Still Trust in Backup QB Milivojevic

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 8:09 PM ET

The Michigan State staff, as well as junior quarterback Aidan Chiles, have been high on redshirt quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, the backup.

But the public hasn't seen what the staff knows about the young signal-caller. On Friday night, Milivojevic threw a pick-six on what was his only drive of the contest, and now, his only two pass attempts in his collegiate career have been picks.

Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith gave his backup some grace, as the situation he was placed in during the Spartans' 23-6 win over Western Michigan was a tough one.

"We talked about it," Smith said on Monday. "Again, to be able to have to sit there for the entire game and then get one throw late in the game on a third down, it's not easy. Learning opportunity for him. Where the rotation was and things, would loved to have been able to run the ball on the first couple of snaps to gain a first down. We're trying to get first downs to let the clock run.

"But Alessio, he's competitive, he's got his head on his shoulders, he's practiced so well. We even talked about it on the team side. His time's coming, and if the situation arises (that) we'd want to put him back in the game, we're going to do it."

What MSU was saying about Milivojevic in fall camp

The Spartans had praise for Milovojevic this offseason and fall camp.

"We're fired up about Alessio, man," offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said early in fall camp. "Big arm, he's done a really nice job of picking up the offense. He's a really sharp guy and puts in the time, and yeah, I would feel really good about putting him in the game."

Milivojevic came in for just one game last season and would earn the backup spot in spring.

"I thought Alessio had a great spring; he's our backup quarterback, we have a lot of confidence in him, he threw a lot of good balls today," Smith said on the first day of fall camp. "He's really taken the step that he'd be the next man up. I want to be a place of development, and at the quarterback position, I think of the schemes, the reads, with more time you get with them, we'd love to be in a place where we are developing them with sitting a year or two. In this day and age, we'd love to do it."