I’m an Open Book: Alessio Milivojevic on Helping Michigan State’s QB Room Grow

Competition is a fickle emotion. On one end, it helps you strive to pursue greatness. Whether it’s sports or life, being a competitive person puts your mentality into this “kill or be killed” state of mind, which forces you to survive and advance.

In sports, competition is the backbone. It pushes the best out of everyone and weeds out the non-players from the top players. Sometimes, the difference between the two isn’t talent, but instead the competition behind your play.

So then, when the competition becomes against teammates while fighting for starting positions, it can get ugly.

All of that is just to say, though, that’s not the case in East Lansing for the quarterbacks representing Michigan State. The competition is pushing the best out of everyone, and yet there is an understanding that as a player, your job isn’t only to go out and play to the best of your ability. It’s also to be a kind human being, and with that comes showing the way to the younger players.

Teaching them what you know, so that they can choose to listen to your advice and try it out or not.

For the Michigan State QB room, it seems like every player, from the oldest to the youngest, is doing everything they can to help the group as a unit.

I was able to ask Spartans starting QB Alessio Milivojevic about how Cam Fancher has been helping Milivojevic grow as a player.

Milivojevic replied:

“He’s been great. I love Fancher. I think us as a room together, all five of us now, we’ve got a great bond. Like I said, Cam has played a lot of football. Cam’s a very experienced guy. Kind of just picking his brain on certain plays, certain concepts on what he sees on each play. Just going to him after each play and talking with him. It’s been great.”

Fancher, a graduate transfer via the transfer portal from UCF, comes over with 30 games started in his collegiate career and a wealth of knowledge from the game. Fancher’s ability to use his legs is something that can infinitely help Milivojevic, who’s no slouch when it comes to running the ball.

He’s a great, experienced guy to come in and help guide Milivojevic along the way — something Milivojevic is doing for the younger guys in the QB room as well.

I asked Milivojevic, “How are you helping out the guys coming in?”

“I think just being here for a few years. What I want to do is help them on the field, obviously, but also off the field. Kind of like their process, their time management. Like, OK, you need to get this, this and this done and you can’t be slacking at this time. I want to help them with time management stuff.”

Something many young players don’t realize when trying to be a student-athlete at any position is how hard the grind is, not just on the field, but off the field as well.

Milivojevic wants to be the leader who’s helping the team not only on the field, but off as well, showing his teammates how to prepare away from the field and execute precise time management.

Every second counts, as Carmie from The Bear would say.

Continuing on, Milivojevic ended his answer by saying:

“And obviously they know I’m an open book. Whenever they have a question, we’ll have player-led meetings where they can ask me as many questions as they want.”

Being a leader and being extremely competitive are two traits mandatory for the QB position. It looks like Milivojevic is checking all the boxes.