Alessio Milivojevic had a big decision to make this offseason. Following the firing of his head coach, Jonathan Smith, Michigan State quickly made a move to hire Pat Fitzgerald as his replacement.
The Illinois native knew that he had to decide on his future rather quickly after speaking with his family, friends, and the new coach.
It didn't take long after that initial talk with Fitzgerald for Alessio to make a decision.
He was back.
Milivojevic joined the You Are the Program podcast hosted by former Spartan football players Dante Razzano, Brian Lewerke, and Tyler Higby to talk about the upcoming season and the decision to return to Michigan State despite losing his head coach.
He said that he "knew right away" that he was going to stay at Michigan State under Pat Fitzgerald while speaking to his new head coach on the phone after he was hired.
"I knew right away that East Lansing's where I'm gonna be," Milivojevic said. "After I talked to him, I knew I was going to stay."
The fact that all it took was an introductory phone call with Fitzgerald to convince Milivojevic to remain in East Lansing says a lot about the Spartans' head coach. He knows what he's doing.
Milivojevic went on to say that he heard the drive in Fitzgerald's voice and the direction he sees the program heading and he knew that East Lansing was the place for him.
It was cool to listen to a former Michigan State quarterback who once drew major expectations after a 10-win season speak to a current Spartan gunslinger who's trying to make the same turnaround that Lewerke made in 2017 after a horrible 2016 campaign.
It was also interesting to hear Higby say that he sees a lot of Mark Dantonio in Fitzgerald.
Michigan State's QB1 will have major expectations in 2026 under the new staff.
Alessio Milivojevic has a chance to become a Spartan legend
Is this a hot take? Yeah, probably, but hear me out.
Milivojevic has a chance to become a Spartan legend over the next 2-3 years. I don't use the term "Spartan legend" lightly either. I truly believe that the redshirt sophomore faces an opportunity that some of the best quarterbacks in Michigan State history have also faced.
He has a chance to be the guy that helps turn the program around after years of turmoil.
After Nick Saban left for LSU back in 2000, Michigan State suffered years of mediocrity under Bobby Williams, John L. Smith, and some interims, until Dantonio was hired ahead of the 2007 season. Brian Hoyer may not be considered a "Spartan legend", but he got the program headed back in the right direction. He also carved out a nice NFL career.
It was Kirk Cousins that really got Michigan State in the right place, starting the build of a powerhouse in the 2010s. He was then followed by Connor Cook, and then 2016 happened, and then Lewerke was a Spartan legend for the 2017 season before an injury really affected his final two seasons.
Milivojevic can be the guy that turns Michigan State back into a winner (Hoyer) as well as the one that gets the Spartans back to the top of the Big Ten (Cousins). He can be both of those guys over the next 2-3 years if he lives up to that sky-high potential.