Austrian recruit finds a fashionable home on Sac State line

Aleksander Milanovic has three pairs of Capri pants – khaki, black and green. They get plenty of use, especially in the summer. He'd let his Sacramento State teammates borrow a pair if they would fit. For many players, Milanovic's Capris would be full-length pants.

After all, the Hornets' starting right tackle is 6-foot-7 and weighs 290 pounds.

And then there is the redshirt freshman's European "fashion forward" style that followed him from his native Austria and his teammates' desire not to be laughed at.

"I wore a pair into (offensive-line coach) Conor Riley's office and they all chuckled," Milanovic said with an incredulous expression on his face. "On a warm summer day, there's nothing better than putting on some Capris. They look good. These guys don't know what they're talking about."

Milanovic's journey from his Vienna home to Sacramento is extremely rare. He was offered a scholarship sight unseen by Hornets coach Marshall Sperbeck.

Well, Sperbeck did see Milanovic's YouTube video playing for the Vienna Vikings, one of Europe's premier American football clubs.

American football continues to grow in Europe, even after NFL Europe folded several years ago. Former Hornets defensive end Mike Brannon played with – and against – Milanovic in games and raved about Milanovic's skill and physical stature, advising Sperbeck he was ready for the rigors of the Big Sky Conference.

"We don't really go out of state (to recruit), let alone out of the country," Sperbeck said. "We had a kid (Brannon) who played in our program who went over and played with him. He swore up and down that this kid would be a great player in our conference. He was right, he's a very good player, and he's doing a nice job for us so far, and we're lucky we got him."

Milanovic said the same eight-minute highlight video was seen by the Oregon State coaching staff. They were interested, he said, but wanted him to send them a video of him dunking a basketball.

"What does dunking a basketball have to do with playing football?" Milanovic asked, sheepishly admitting that had he been able to dunk a ball back then he would have made the video. "So I crossed them off my list."

Milanovic said Liberty University also was intrigued, but he wanted to play on a higher level.

"I was told when I entered the NCAA clearinghouse that if a head coach calls me on my Austrian cellphone, then that means he's serious," said Milanovic, who quickly rose through the ranks of the Vienna Vikings club team to become one of the youngest starters in team history. "Coach Sperbeck called me personally in Austria and offered me a scholarship."

He also asked Milanovic if he needed some time to decide, to perhaps consult his parents. Milanovic said no, he'd accept the offer and move to the United States as soon as possible. "My parents didn't know how serious this was, and after I told coach Sperbeck yes, I told my mom (Natasa) that I was going to the U.S. on scholarship and she cried because she was happy for me."

Milanovic then told his father, Zeljko, who accused him of leaving the country to have fun and party instead of starting a career.

"I'm trying to be the first Austrian player in the NFL since (placekicker) Tony Fritz," he said. "That's my goal, and I'm very serious about it."

Because Milanovic didn't have years of coaching from amateur coaches in youth football and high school, he's still very raw and devoid of bad habits that some young players spend their first couple of years in a program fixing. That also appealed to Sperbeck, he said.

"(Not playing youth football) is actually a good thing," Sperbeck said. "He's very smart and very coachable. He takes great pride in studying the game, and he's doing a great job of picking things up. Plus, he's a big kid; has half the battle won right there."

Milanovic grades out each game as a good pass protector and is improving steadily as a run blocker. Sperbeck said Milanovic has good feet but could get his pad level down more to get better leverage. Technique and a quicker first step will come from reps.

Milanovic has assimilated well to American college life. He's dating former Hornets volleyball player Ashley Newcomb – naturally, since he's majoring in international relations.

Newcomb hasn't visited Austria, but fellow Hornets lineman Derek Stickney made the trip. Milanovic didn't say if he made Stickney wear Capri pants while touring the Austrian countryside.

Probably not.

So what about Sperbeck? He has some fashion sense.

"I don't think that one is going to happen," Sperbeck said of his anti-Capri pants bent, even if they are dark green with the Hornets logo stitched on. "I'm good with that one. I'll keep those tucked away."

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