Alessio Milivojevic treated like hometown celebrity, throws out first pitch at MLB game

Alessio Milivojevic is gearing up for his first full season as Michigan State’s starting quarterback after finishing the final month of the 2025 season as the Spartans’ QB1.

The sophomore gunslinger from Naperville, Ill., was signed as a “CHISOX” Athlete earlier this year and he’s been rewarded with some cool opportunities. Before we get into those opportunities, we must first talk about what a CHISOX Athlete is. The White Sox set up an NIL program that helps “empower” student-athletes by giving them opportunities to grow their brand while earning some money.

Milivojevic signed with that program this year and now the White Sox rewarded him with a ceremonial first pitch. He got to throw out the first pitch at Chicago’s home finale against the Athletics before the MLB All-Star break on Sunday.

First off, let me just say that Milivojevic looks like he’s bulked up quite a bit and that’s good for his longevity and health under center this season. I doubt it’ll affect his speed when he decides to tuck and run, but he’ll be able to absorb more contact and avoid injuries. He’s looking more like a Big Ten QB1 by the day.

Second, it’s cool to see the Michigan State QB1 get some brand exposure in his hometown. Throwing out the first pitch at an MLB game is a big deal and he was the organization’s choice for the last home game before the All-Star break.

I couldn’t find video of the first pitch, but judging by how accurate he was at the end of his freshman season after replacing Aidan Chiles, I’m going to assume it was a strike.

Alessio Milivojevic has the weight of the offense on his shoulders

Although Chiles was once the No. 1 player in the transfer portal, brought in by Jonathan Smith to lead Michigan State’s offense for the foreseeable future, it was pretty clear in 2025 that the reins needed to be handed off to another quarterback.

Milivojevic was the obvious choice given the fact that he was the backup, but he didn’t have the best track record, throwing two interceptions on his first two career pass attempts.

He would eventually shake those picks off and settle in with a 6-for-7 performance against Nebraska in October where he finished with 71 yards and a touchdown. He struggled against UCLA — but which Spartan didn’t? — before putting together solid outings against Indiana (3-for-5, 50 yards) and Michigan (5-for-6, 60 yards) to end the month of October.

In November, Milivojevic officially took over for Chiles as QB1 and had three really good games in four outings. He finished with seven touchdowns to just two interceptions during that four-game stretch to go along with 986 yards and a completion rate well over 60 percent.

Now he takes over an offense that has been tabbed as “mediocre” for about four years now and he’s the one who’s tasked with turning it around. He’s now Pat Fitzgerald’s guy.

The pressure will be on the sophomore from Naperville to get the offense humming again, which was something his predecessor couldn’t do. Fortunately, he’s getting a fresh start under a new staff and he’ll be surrounded by weapons in the backfield and in the receiving corps that should help him kickstart the turnaround. It won’t hurt having a much-improved offensive line as well.

It’s only a matter of time before Milivojevic is Michigan State’s next 3,000-yards passer, in my opinion.

Imagine the CHISOX Athlete opportunities when that happens.

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