Weekly Michigan State Spartans Football Roster Breakdown: Quarterbacks

With nine Sundays remaining before the Michigan State Spartans kick off the season on Friday, September 4, it's time to begin my weekly position breakdown series.

Each Sunday, I'll take a look at one of the Spartans' major position groups, discuss the players competing for snaps, highlight any position battles, and offer my predictions heading into the season.

Originally, I planned to start with the coaching staff and special teams, combining them into one article because, as fun as it would be to write an entire feature on kicker Liam Boyd and punter Rhys Dakin, I figured the coaching staff deserved to be included alongside them.

However, after digging into the research, I decided to save that article for the final Sunday before the season opener. It feels fitting to wrap up the series by taking a look at the coaching staff and special teams just before Michigan State takes the field.

So instead, we're switching gears and starting with arguably the most important position on the field: quarterback.

After all, who doesn't want to read about the players who will lead the Spartans into their inaugural season under Pat Fitzgerald?

For years, Michigan State has seemingly had talented quarterbacks on its roster. That really hasn't changed. Unfortunately, the Spartans have also developed a frustrating habit of playing the wrong quarterback far too often over the past decade.

Then, as we've seen so many times, those quarterbacks transfer elsewhere and find tremendous success while Michigan State is left wondering what could have been.

However, for the first time in a long time, the Spartans appear to have their guy in Alessio Milivojevic.

Milivojevic wants to be a Spartan, and Michigan State fans should feel confident in just how good he has the potential to become.

He's a quarterback who continues to be overlooked and underappreciated by the national talking heads, but he's more than ready to put this team on his back.

That became evident last season when he finally got the opportunity to start after Aidan Chiles went down with an injury. Once Milivojevic took over, he never relinquished the starting job.

Despite playing behind an offensive line that could have been mistaken for a Division 8 high school unit at times, Milivojevic consistently displayed remarkable poise and composure. Whether escaping pressure with his legs or standing tall in the pocket until the very last second before getting pulverized, he continually delivered strikes downfield.

Once Milivojevic entered the lineup, Michigan State transformed from a team that looked destined to lose into one that legitimately had a chance to win every game.

The Spartans suffered three heartbreaking losses during that stretch, including an overtime defeat against Minnesota and a three-point loss to No. 17 Iowa, a game Michigan State let slip away because of poor late-game play calling. Even though Milivojevic started his career 0-3 as a starter, he consistently put the Spartans in position to win.

Everything finally came together in the season finale against Maryland.

Milivojevic capped off the year by throwing for 292 yards, four touchdowns, and posting a 160.84 passer rating while leading Michigan State to its only Big Ten victory of the season. More importantly, he gave Spartan fans a glimpse of what could be in 2026.

Now, Milivojevic enters the offseason as the unquestioned starter and leader of the offense. Pat Fitzgerald will be counting on big things from his quarterback, and Milivojevic certainly looks poised to deliver.

Behind him, the Spartans have veteran transfer Cam Fancher, who brings plenty of experience after arriving from UCF.

One of the defining traits of Fancher's game is his ability to escape defenders. He's a smart runner who knows when to tuck the football and make plays with his legs. While he'll likely spend most of the season holding a clipboard, he's more than capable of stepping in if his number is called.

Last season, Fancher threw for 333 yards while adding another 170 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Michigan State also has two talented freshmen waiting in the wings.

Kayd Coffman and Leo Hannan are both set to join the Spartans in 2026 and will likely begin their careers as the third- and fourth-string quarterbacks. Both are considered among the better quarterback prospects in the country and will undoubtedly compete every day to prove they're the future of the program.

Of course, in today's era of the transfer portal, the question is whether both quarterbacks will still be around when that opportunity arrives.

No commitment is ever guaranteed anymore, and given Michigan State's history of losing talented quarterbacks before they fully develop, there's naturally some nervousness surrounding both freshmen. Milivojevic arrived as a freshman in 2024, stayed committed to the program, and is now being rewarded with the chance to lead the Spartans.

Time will tell if Coffman and Hannan follow that same path.

For now, both talented young quarterbacks will spend the 2026 season learning, developing, and waiting for their opportunity.

On paper, Michigan State's quarterback room has almost always looked promising. This season, though, it finally appears ready to translate onto the field.

The national media may not have enormous expectations for Milivojevic, but the expectations in East Lansing are growing by the day.

Fortunately for Spartan fans, Milivojevic looks like the type of quarterback who does his best work when the lights shine the brightest.