Chiaverini Continues To Develop Talent, Depth With Buffs Wide Receivers

BOULDER — When star Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. exited Saturday night's game at Arizona State in the first quarter with an injury, CU assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini didn't flinch.

"I walked over to Coach (Mel) Tucker and said, 'We've got plenty of weapons to win this game, Coach,'" Chiaverini said. "He looked at me and said, 'You're right. We do.'"

The Buffs then proceeded to back up Chiaverini's claim. With Tony Brown producing nine catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns, and K.D. Nixon and Dimitri Stanley both adding clutch receptions at critical moments, the Buffs put forth their best overall offensive effort of the season and left Sun Devil Stadium with a dramatic 34-31 win.

"Maybe some people were surprised, but Coach Tucker sees it every day in practice," Chiaverini said. "He knows what Tony Brown does every day, he knows what K.D. Nixon does, he knows what kind of receiver Dimitri is going to be. It's a talented group and competition just makes them better every day."

The Buffs' performance is certainly no surprise to Chiaverini, who has proven not only to have a keen eye for talent, but also be someone who knows how to develop that talent once those players arrive on campus.

"One of the most important things for a college football coach is to be a great evaluator of talent," Chiaverini said. "Every guy that gets an offer is going to be at least a three-star guy. Some of them will be four stars and there will be the occasional five-star guy. But what a coach has to know how to do is go out there and evaluate with his own eyes. He has to know what he's looking for and be confident that player has what it takes to succeed in his program."

Chiaverini has no doubt succeeded in that aspect. While many schools missed early on Shenault, Chiaverini saw a player he believed would be a future star. Now, Shenault is being tabbed as a potential first-round draft pick.

"You have to be able to evaluate," he said. "I saw the way he moved, his strength, his ball skills. I really thought he would be a superstar at this level."

But evaluation is just the first piece of the puzzle. The second part of the equation is development, and Chiaverini has proven to be a standout in that area as well. Virtually every one of CU's receivers has blossomed after their arrival in Boulder.

Chiaverini credits part of that success to the fact that he enjoyed a four-year NFL career, making the most out of his abilities.

"One thing that I tell these guys all the time is that I played that position," he said. "So every route you're going to run in college football or pro football, I've done it a million times. I know the difference between man and zone, I know what you have to do against a cloud, I know the different routes that you need to be really good at to be successful. I wasn't the fastest guy but I was able to sell, I was able to separate in games versus man and zone. I can help them with all the things they need to do to play at a high level in college and also transition to the NFL. I think a lot of kids trust me because of that."

What Chiaverini has also learned in his coaching career is that you have to add great players every year. It is why CU signs elite receivers on an annual basis, and why young players get their opportunities every year as well.

"If you want to be elite at this level, if you want to have an elite group, you have to sign top guys every year," Chiaverini said. "It can't be every couple of years. You have to get them every year, and since I've been here, we've been able to do that. They are guys we have evaluated and guys we know can succeed in our program."

The Buffs have indeed added talent at the position on an annual basis.

Brown, a transfer from Texas Tech, is a senior. Shenault and Nixon are juniors. Daniel Arias, Jaylon Jackson and Maurice Bell are part of a talented sophomore group, while Stanley is a redshirt freshman and true freshmen Braeden Huffman-Dixon and La'Vontae Shenault are next up.

They are all getting their chances. Already this year, CU has had three different receivers named to the Pro Football Focus Pac-12 Team of the Week.

"What you see is guys come here, they put in their time and they get better," Chiaverini said. "We know what Tony and Laviska and K.D. can do, but every one of our guys has gotten better and they're making big plays. Look at what Dimitri is doing (11 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD this year). Look at the big plays Jaylon had against Nebraska (a 57-yard catch to set up a key touchdown). I think that's the true testament of a good coach — when you get good players, do they get better? I think all of our guys rise up and get better in their game."

CU's staff is currently in the midst of a key recruiting cycle, with the next signing date coming in December. For Chiaverini, it means adding more top-shelf talent.

"We're going to keep signing elite players," Chiaverini said. "I think it's been proven that you can come here, get better and have the opportunity to play."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu