Chiaverini says he wants to call plays again someday
BOULDER» Now that he’s more of a back-seat driver, Darrin Chiaverini admits that it’d be cool to get another crack at the playcalling wheel.
“Yeah, someday,” Chiaverini, the CU Buffaloes’ receivers coach/recruiting coordinator and former offensive coordinator, told The Denver Post on Friday. “And I’ll get another opportunity. But in the meantime, I’m going to do the best job I can. But, yeah, I want to call plays again, of course. I’ve just got to keep working and do a good job. The more we win, the more opportunities (that) come along.”
Chiaverini, a Buffs wideout from 1995-98, spent the past three seasons as the co-offensive coordinator before being handed offensive play-calling duties for the first time last year by then-head coach Mike MacIntyre. As with most things related to the end of the MacIntyre era, it served as something of a mixed bag: The Buffs ranked just 79th nationally in offensive points per drive against FBS opponents (2.05), according to BCFToys.com, down from 2.13 per drive in 2017. Former Georgia offensive analyst Jay Johnson was hired in December by new head coach Mel Tucker, who worked with Johnson on the Bulldogs’ staff, to run the Buffs’ offense.
“I mean, it’s always different when you go from a play-caller back to a position coach,” said Chiaverini, who was one of just three MacIntyre assistants retained on the new staff. “I’m just an old player, so I know how to be a part of teams. Whatever my role is, I’m going to do the best job I can in my role to make sure it helps the football team.
“Coach Tucker’s been good to me, and ever since he’s retained
me, we’ve had a good relationship. Even with Coach Johnson being the coordinator, I’m sure it’s awkward for him coming in, too. And we’ve done a good job of communication and being on the same page.”
The Buffs under Chiaverini had averaged 490.6 yards of total offense in the season’s first five weeks as CU stormed to a 5-0 start last fall. But injuries to star wide receiver Laviska Shenault and, later, to fellow wideout K.D. Nixon would eventually send that side of the ball spiraling; the Buffs averaged just 322.6 yards of total offense per game over their final seven contests, all losses.
“We were rolling early and then we had some injuries that really set us back, and … some of that stuff fell on me, too,” Chiaverini said. “I had to do a better job on some of the things. But I think it’s a learning experience for me, because I see the things we did really, really well and see the things that we struggled in. But when I get my opportunity again, then I’ll look at those things, and how I can do a better job. That was one of the toughest things I’ve been through. But it was also a big, big learning experience for me.”
Quick hits.
Tucker said Friday that Shenault “seems to be on track” to be ready for preseason camp this summer. The junior receiver, who led the nation with 9.6 receptions per game last fall, is recovering from offseason surgeries to repair an injured toe and a torn labrum. … Former CU linebacker, assistant coach and interim head coach Brian Cabral addressed the team after practice. “(He) just had a lot of things to say about (how we should) keep moving forward, keep pushing, not giving up,” quarterback Steven Montez said.