Michigan State’s rebuild under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald is already forcing the Spartans to sort through a lot at once, and that makes Alessio Milivojevic one of the names worth watching closely in 2026.
The program needs a better year after last season, not just to calm down the noise around it but to show it can handle the kind of chaos it has dealt with over the past month. In the middle of that reset, it’s easy to get caught up in the players who haven’t taken the field yet but might have the highest upside. That matters, because those guys could end up being the difference between a bowl trip and something even bigger.
Still, the players who matter most can’t get lost in the shuffle, and Milivojevic fits that category. He has plenty to clean up, but he also isn’t carrying the burden alone. The offense around him has to do its part first.
The clearest red flag from last season was his rushing production. Milivojevic finished with 31 carries for -59 yards, a number that jumps off the page for all the wrong reasons. In a pocket that was as messy as his, the responsibility to improve that part of his game falls squarely on him, and the Spartans need those numbers to move in the right direction if they want a real shot.
Even so, this isn’t just about Milivojevic fixing one piece of his game. The offensive line has to be better too, and that improvement has to come alongside his.
In Other News...
This New Spartans Receiver Could Change Everything For MSU's Passing Game
Michigan States passing game is getting a fresh look under Pat Fitzgerald, and the Spartans have already added help at receiver with KK Smith and Fredrick Moore coming through the portal to fill the gaps left by departed players. Moore, in particular, brings a profile that stands out because of the way he moves through routes and creates space, traits that can matter quickly in a new offense if the quarterback and receiver get on the same page.
What makes Moore interesting is not just the addition itself, but the possibility that his skill set fits what Michigan State needs most right now. He showed enough as a route runner and pass catcher in 2024 to suggest there is more there than a depth role, and if that translates in East Lansing, he could end up being one of the more important targets in the Spartans passing game this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Why Michigan State Fans Should Watch This New Linebacker Closely
Michigan States linebacker room looks like one of the cleaner strengths on the roster heading into the season, with Jordan Hall set to anchor the middle and transfer Dion Crawford expected to step in at WILL. The interesting name behind them is Caleb Wheatland, the Auburn transfer who previously spent time at Maryland and now profiles as the next man up in a group the Spartans hope can bring more juice to the front seven.
Wheatland is not being talked about as a starter, but his fit is still worth watching because his best traits line up with what Michigan State needs from its depth. He brings pass-rushing and coverage ability, and that gives him a path to carve out real snaps if he can hold up in the parts of the game that have been less consistent. For a defense looking to turn linebacker depth into a true asset, he could end up being one of the more important pieces in the room. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Knows This Season Comes With No More Excuses
Cam Ward has spent the early stretch of Michigan States preseason talking like a player who knows exactly what kind of year this can be. The Spartans return much of their core, have supplemented it with transfer help and recruiting, and now look built to contend again, with Ward pointing to the groups versatility and depth as reasons the ceiling feels higher than it has in a while. For a program that expects to live near the top of the Big Ten, the conversation is no longer about whether the pieces are there. It is about how well they fit.
The added pressure is obvious, too, because this is the kind of roster that comes with little room for excuses. Michigan State has a crowded scholarship group, and Tom Izzo will have to sort through a long list of players all fighting for steady minutes as the season unfolds. Ward said that competition is part of what makes the team dangerous, but it also means the Spartans enter the year with a real test in front of them: turning all that depth into the kind of consistency that can carry them where they want to go. [Read more 🡒]