Michigan State football opened fall camp Thursday, Aug. 6, with first-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald running his first practice in East Lansing and redshirt sophomore Alessio Milivojevic already installed as the starting quarterback.
It's the beginning of a new era for a program that hasn't reached a bowl game since 2021.
Fitzgerald, who was named MSU's 27th head coach on Dec. 1, 2025, told reporters after Thursday's session that the team embraced the work despite some early rust. He said the Spartans need to raise their expectations individually and hold each other to a championship standard "every rep of every day of everything we do," according to WLNS.
The College Football Hall of Fame linebacker spent 17 seasons at Northwestern (2006-22), winning 110 games, 10 bowl games and two Big Ten West Division titles. Thursday marked his first fall camp since 2022. He revived the tradition of housing players in the dorms during camp, a practice he valued during his own playing days.
Milivojevic takes the reins
The job is his.
Milivojevic, a 6-foot-3, 223-pound redshirt sophomore from Naperville, Ill., earned the starting role after manning MSU's final four games of 2025. He completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,267 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions across nine appearances. His first career start at Minnesota produced 311 passing yards.
At Big Ten Media Days on July 30, Fitzgerald praised the quarterback's toughness in an interview with Yahoo Sports, recalling a hit Milivojevic absorbed at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium last season. Milivojevic embraced the praise, saying his mouth was bleeding after the play but that he relished the chance to prove his toughness in person for his new coach: "My mouth may have been bleeding, I may have been coughing up blood. But it's very cool to hear a guy who's been through the Big Ten for many, many years as a head coach talk about you like that."
Sixth-year transfer Cam Fancher (UCF, 37 career games, 28 starts) provides experienced depth behind Milivojevic.
Roster overhaul
The Spartans added 32 transfers this offseason, bringing a combined 357 career starts to the roster. Among the headliners, according to MSU Athletics:
- Cam Edwards, running back (UConn): 1,240 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025. Named to the Maxwell Award watch list.
- Ben Murawski, offensive lineman (UConn): Started all 12 games at left tackle in 2025, ranked No. 27 OT nationally by PFF. Named to the Outland Trophy watch list.
- Trent Fraley, center (North Dakota State): Won the Rimington Award as the nation's best FCS center and started every game across two seasons as NDSU won the FCS national title.
On defense, senior linebacker Jordan Hall returns after leading the team with 88 tackles in 2025. He earned a Phil Steele first-team preseason All-Big Ten selection entering 2026.
Eight new assistant coaches join the staff, headlined by offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, who coordinated Alabama's offense in 2024 (33.8 points per game), and special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, who spent 18 years on Kirk Ferentz's staff at Iowa.
What's ahead
MSU opens the season Friday, Sept. 4, against Toledo at Spartan Stadium in Fitzgerald's first game as head coach. The Spartans host Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 12, then travel to Notre Dame on Saturday, Sept. 19. Big Ten play begins Saturday, Sept. 26, at home against Nebraska.
