Colorado University Athletics
Offense, 2017 Recruiting On Chiaverini's Plate
February 08, 2016 | Neill Woelk
BOULDER — After spending the last month on the road, on the phone and away from home during the final recruiting push, Colorado's football coaches had an optional day off on Monday, a welcome day to catch their collective breath.
Operative word: “optional.”
Darrin Chiaverini, CU's new recruiting coordinator and co-offensive coordinator, opted to spend the day in his office watching film, preparing for the March 4 opening of spring ball. Also, with the 2016 recruiting class now signed, sealed and delivered, he has his attention squarely focused on the 2017 recruiting class.
“No time to waste,” Chiaverini said from behind his desk. “We're already watching film, evaluating and organizing our 2017 board so we can see what our priorities are and where we need to attack those areas.”
Chiaverini hit the ground running when he officially joined the staff in early January, and he hasn't stopped since. He helped organize a late recruiting push that produced what is generally described as Mike MacIntyre's best group yet at Colorado, while also helping refocus how the program gets its message out — particularly through social media.
“That's something I'm big on,” said Chiaverini. “It's a way for us to be consistent and get our message out. It's important that we have a huge presence on social media because once we get them here and they see what Boulder's all about and see what this facility is all about, this place will sell itself — but you've got to get them here.”
The latest CU recruiting class included Texas Tech transfer quarterback Davis Webb. Chiaverini — who came to Colorado from TTU — said Webb's decision created some immediate positive attention for the program.
“Without a doubt it got people's attention,” Chiaverini said. “Davis had a lot of options. He was getting calls from all over the country. There's been a lot of good buzz about Colorado football these last couple of weeks. There are a lot of high school coaches down in Texas and in California who are really excited about what we're doing here.”
And what the Buffs will be doing next fall will begin to take shape in just a few weeks, when the Buffs open spring drills. Chiaverini and co-offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren are meeting regularly to begin the process of tweaking and adjusting the Buffs' offensive plan.
“It's been great,” Chiaverini said. “He's got good energy, he's a good person and he's really open to ideas. We've been sitting down, going over stuff and we're getting on the same page.”
While the offense will no doubt change, Chiaverini said it's still far too early to tell exactly how much change will occur. That, he said, will begin to take shape in spring ball, when offensive coaches have a chance to evaluate personnel and how players might fit in particular schemes.
“Spring football will be huge to see what we do well,” Chiaverini said. “You can't do everything. The important thing will be to see what we do well, what we have the personnel to do and how can we be most productive on game day.”
But don't expect the Buffs' playbook to grow. Instead, Chiaverini said, it might actually be pared down a little.
“What's good is that Colorado last year did a lot of good things that we did at Texas Tech,” he said. “Where we were a little different is that we kind of scaled everything down. We went a lot faster and we schemed things down to be able to let our guys play in space and play fast.
“That's going to be a point of emphasis with me. It's great to have a bunch of stuff, but what we do, we want to do really well. That's what I'm big on. Less is always more.”
One thing the Buffs will definitely have less of in spring ball is quarterbacks. Webb will spend the spring finishing his degree at TTU while last year's Buffs starter, Sefo Liufau, is still recovering from a Lisfranc injury that will keep him sidelined until mid-summer. It means freshman Steve Montez will get his first serious repetitions, along with Cade Apsay (last season's starter after Liufau was injured) and backup Jordan Gehrke.
“Montez is going to get a great opportunity,” Chiaverini said. “It's a chance for us to evaluate him and see where his progress has been since he's been here.”
But in the end, spring ball will be more about the process than any particular player or position.
“It's about installing the offense, evaluating the offensive line and the receivers and seeing what we have,” Chiaverini said. “I know what Davis can do. I know Sefo is a heck of a football player. He's proven that on the field. That's not a big concern.
“This gives us a chance to evaluate everybody else and install the offense. That's the most important thing. See what we're going to be doing going into fall camp and evaluate our roster. See who has ability and who doesn't. That's what will be important for spring ball.”
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
