Wanting to be like his older brother, Alessio, St. Francis senior Dario Milivojevic grew up with aspirations to play the quarterback position.

But there was one hitch: Dario was too small to see over his linemen. Milivojevic, who had a growth spurt during his sophomore year, switched to the wide receiver position as a result.

It’s proven to be an excellent decision. After a stellar senior season in which he made 52 receptions for 1,030 yards and 15 touchdowns, Milivojevic signed early last month to continue his football career at Southern Illinois. It’s a Division I program that Dario’s father Ivan, a high school football player growing up, tried to walk on at years ago.

“It’s a winning program,” Milivojevic said. “Their quarterback, DJ [Williams] is coming back, so I think it’s a great spot to be in... We run a pretty similar offense as SIU. My sophomore and junior year, we were a hand-signal team and that’s similar to what SIU does. We had a lot of RPOs and every run tag is going to have a little bit of a bubble or something like that. A similar playstyle plays into the fit for both.”

A three-year varsity player for the Spartans, Milivojevic helped his team make three IHSA state semifinal appearances and win the Class 5A championship over Providence in 2025. Dario, who as a sophomore caught passes from his brother Alessio, now the starting quarterback at Michigan State, was the CCL/ESCC Green’s MVP this past season.

“I think I’ll make the biggest impact with my quickness and route running,” Milivojevic said. “You can have all this speed, but if you’re not able to get in and out of your break, then you’re not going to be effective on the field. I think it’d be really beneficial to improve after the catch. Everyone around you at the next level is going to be bigger and better at tackling, so extending the play will give me upside.”

Milivojevic first committed to the Salukis in late June and remained committed after receiving a walk-on offer from Missouri in November. The IHSFCA 5A All-State wide receiver, who also had offers from D1 programs like Marshall, Western Kentucky and Illinois State, said his budding relationship with SIU receivers coach Zach Grant played a significant role in wanting to play for the Salukis this coming fall.

“We had a chance to develop a great relationship throughout my senior season,” Milivojevic said. “It honestly came down to what was the best fit for me and what was financially correct for my family. The difference between getting your college paid for and potentially being a walk-on and not having a guaranteed that you’ll be a scholarship player... All of those factors overweighted playing at Missouri.”

As a young football player growing up in south Naperville, Milivojevic aspired to emulate his favorite NFL stars like Tom Brady and Justin Jefferson. Milivojevic, whose competitive spirit pushed him to play wide receiver, said his biggest role models have been his older brother Alessio and his father Ivan. When asked about advice he’s received from Alessio, a redshirt freshman at MSU, one word came to mind.

“Patience,” Milivojevic said. “A role model is what he’s been for me in terms of how he handles the media and how he acts on the field. Your attitude and how you carry yourself are big takeaways I’ve gained from him... He had to wait and have a lot of patience during his freshman year. He had to redshirt and then, as a redshirt freshman, he felt like maybe he’d have a shot. He just waited for his moment.”

Joining Milivojevic at the Division I level will be St. Francis teammate and All-CCL/ESCC lineman Jaylen Torres, who signed to play for Lindenwood next year. Torres, who was named to the Friday Night Drive Team of the Year and the FND All-CCL/ESCC Team in 2025, recorded 114 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks on the defensive line. He also had 64 pancake blocks for a St. Francis offense that compiled over 5,000 yards.

“The leadership, as a whole, from the 2026 class was the best we’ve ever had here at St. Francis,” coach Bob McMillen said. “They’ve really matured over these last 3-4 years. They’ve put the time and effort in, mentored these younger kids and looked over them and made sure they worked hard in the weight room and did the little things during the offseason. When the season came around, they were lights out.”

Torres and Milivojevic are among several St. Francis seniors who signed with Division I programs during the National Signing Day period in February. Two-way lineman Cooper Paukstis will play at Butler after a strong senior season for the Spartans. Paukstis had 68 total tackles, 15 TFLs and 4.5 sacks along with 45 pancake blocks.

Long snapper Drew Kegebein, rated a five-star snapper by Rubio, has signed to continue his football career at Louisville. Kegebein was St. Francis’ Special Teams Player of the Year in 2025. Dylan Liner, an all-state track and field athlete and a two-way player at wide receiver and defensive back, signed to continue his career at Yale next year.

Brady Hill, who served as a team captain as well as a three-year varsity player and a two-way starter, signed to continue on with San Diego State. Matthew Anderson, an All-CCL/ESCC honoree and a two-way lineman, signed to continue on at Division III Carroll University. Anderson led the St. Francis offensive line with 71 pancake blocks.

Quarterback Brock Phillip, a Geneva transfer who passed for 2,745 yards and 34 touchdowns and rushed for 700 yards and 16 scores in 2025, will take the junior college path. Phillip recently announced his commitment to play football at Iowa Western Community College.

He’ll be joined there by wide receiver and defensive back Tanner Glock, who has also committed to the junior college. Glock caught 44 passes for 680 yards and six touchdowns on offense while posting 47 tackles, six interceptions and a defensive touchdown in 2025.