EA Sports’ latest College Football ratings are out, and a few Michigan State names jump off the page for all the wrong reasons.
The most glaring one is at quarterback. Alessio Milivojevic, who won the starting job late last season, comes in at 75 overall - a number that feels light after what he showed against Big Ten defenses.
He’s still sitting five points behind Aidan Chiles’ 80 overall at Northwestern, and EA has him 21st among Big Ten quarterbacks. That’s a tough place for the Spartans’ most watched player to land.
Milivojevic’s 2025 sample was small, but it was real. In four starts, all against Big Ten opponents, he threw for 986 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions.
He opened with 311 yards on the road against Minnesota, then closed the year with 292 yards and four touchdown passes against Maryland. If he builds on that kind of production, the 75 label may not stick around for long.
The oddity gets even stranger when you look at the other 75s. Running back Zion Gist shares the same overall as Milivojevic despite not having played an official college snap yet after redshirting last season.
Another 75 that raises an eyebrow belongs to Kenny Soares Jr., the incoming NC State transfer who could be in line for a major role on defense. His move from linebacker to rush end may be part of the explanation, but he’s still one of the more proven additions Michigan State brought in from the portal.
Soares is also the only player on the roster who has previously played for Pat Fitzgerald. He started his career at Northwestern, with his true freshman year there overlapping with Fitzgerald’s final season in Evanston.
His 2025 production at NC State makes the rating look a little low. Soares finished with 80 tackles, second on the team, along with 4.0 tackles for loss, half a sack and a fumble recovery.
Spring hints suggest he’s already settled into a leadership spot with Michigan State’s defense and should be a starter this fall. Even so, his 75 overall is actually down two points from the 77 he carried when ratings were last updated in February.
Anelu Lafaele is another Spartan who could outplay his number once the season starts. He was supposed to be a key piece of the pass rush last year before getting hurt in the fifth game against Nebraska. Before that injury, though, he made a strong impression after transferring in from Wisconsin.
In roughly 4.5 games, Lafaele logged two sacks and a forced fumble on just 68 defensive snaps in 2025. He spent most of his time in obvious passing situations, which makes him a natural candidate to be Michigan State’s best pure pass rusher next season if he stays healthy. A strong year should lead to a better rating, too.
Wide receiver KK Smith is in a similar spot. The former Notre Dame backup could be headed for a starting job this fall, giving him a real chance to become one of the offense’s breakout pieces. He missed part of spring with an injury, but he still looks like an important X-factor for a Michigan State offense that needs someone to step forward.
The Spartans have often found at least one receiver with an NFL future under position coach Courtney Hawkins, and Smith fits that mold because of his sharp route-running against man coverage.
Then there’s Carson Gulker, one of the most intriguing pieces on the offense. He’s listed in the game and on the roster as a tight end, but that barely tells the story. At Division II Ferris State, Gulker won multiple national championships while playing quarterback and running back, and his career totals are eye-popping: 73 touchdowns overall, including 50 rushing scores, 16 passing touchdowns and seven receiving touchdowns.
That kind of versatility gives coordinator Nick Sheridan plenty to work with. Moving from Division II to this level is no small leap, but Gulker’s skill set makes him a unique option whenever he gets on the field.
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