Pat Fitzgerald has been a busy man since taking the Michigan State job earlier this week, and you could tell he felt the pressure when he spoke about having to call all of his 2026 recruits just a day before signing day during his press conference.
Not only did he have to make sure his 2026 recruiting class stuck together, for the most part, but he also had to meet individually with some of his players. The goal there is obviously to keep the best players in East Lansing and start crafting his roster for next season.
Not many players have openly stated their intentions to return in 2026 yet, but I would imagine that starts to change in the coming days.
Alessio Milivojevic has been on everyone’s minds after he finished the 2025 season red-hot, earning Big Ten player of the week honors after throwing four touchdown passes against Maryland. He was rumored to be leaning toward a return after he was seen talking to Fitzgerald right before attending his intro presser.
Nothing was announced after the intro presser, so it started to feel like he was going to wait until the transfer window closed to make a decision.
That changed on Thursday night as the redshirt freshman quarterback announced his return with a “Run it back” post on Instagram.
Michigan State RS-freshman QB Alessio Milivojevic via IG:
— Kenny Jordan (@Kenny_Jordan5) December 5, 2025
“Run it back.” pic.twitter.com/aj021oAwuj
It would appear that means he’s coming back in the green and white, and that would be huge for the immediate future of the program. He took over for Aidan Chiles in the final month of the season, and he breathed new life into the team. The offense looked sharper with him out there, and he never lost his composure.
Milivojevic waited patiently and seized his opportunity in the final month. He finished with over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season and closed it out with a win over Maryland.
Fitzgerald just locked up his QB1 for the next 2-3 years with Milivojevic hinting at a return. Now he just has to work on piecing together his staff and maybe announcing the return of some assistants (Courtney Hawkins).