By Bobby Narang
The national signing day for football is another milestone moment for several Chicagoland football players.
Three days before the December 20 signing day, St. Francis High School senior quarterback Alessio Milivojevic is already changing teams.
The dual-threat quarterback pledged his commitment to Ball State of the Mid-American Conference in June, but his stellar season, which included several big comebacks against high-profile teams, started to attract attention from several Power Five schools.
Michigan State jumped into the mix by offering Milivojevic December 7.
He eventually shifted his commitment during a visit to East Lansing, Mich. and announcing his commitment to Michigan State Sunday, Dec. 17. Milivojevic said he formed a solid relationship with Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren.
“The coaching staff has lots of experience with the offense and coaching quarterbacks,” Milivojevic said. “I think coach Lindgren and coach Smith do a great job with that. Also, getting to play in the Big Ten (Conference). Along with that, I loved the City and the campus.”
Milivojevic, a three-year starter, turned in one of the best seasons for a quarterback at St. Francis, earning several postseason awards. Possessing a rocket arm, poise in the pocket and quick feet, he threw for 3,408 yards and 40 touchdowns. His accuracy was another key factor in the Spartans’ strong season, as he threw four interceptions to end with a 73% completion rate. Milivojevic expanded several drives with his running ability, ending with 339 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
Milivojevic received offers from several programs, namely Buffalo, UConn, Marshall, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tulane and Bowling Green. He said telling the Ball State coaching staff of his decision to decommit one of the toughest parts of his decision to shift to Michigan State. He is sticking to his plan to enroll early at Michigan State, like he had planned for Ball State.
“It was by far one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life,” Milivojevic said. “When you build a relationship with a coaching staff and with the them being so good to me, it was just hard to leave them. “It’s going to be a quick turnaround, finishing up finals for school this week, then signing on Wednesday at the school last week, then moving in the first week of January 2024 and getting started. It will be a little crazy, but I think I’m ready for it.”
Milivojevic is the third player from his program to commit to a Big Ten program in the last three years. St. Francis coach Bob McMillen said it was big moment for his program. His son, TJ, just completed his freshman season at Illinois, while Tyler Duzansky, is a redshirt sophomore at Penn State.
“From a program standpoint, it shows we’re getting quality kids to be good student athletes,” McMillen said. “To have another kid go to a Big Ten and Power Five school is huge for our program. That shows we’re developing our kids the right way and our coaches are doing a phenomenal job getting these kids prepared.”