BSN Exclusive: How Darrin Chiaverini became Mel Tucker's right-hand man

Darren Chiaverini was nervous when Mike Macintyre was fired.

“I was talking to my wife every night about, you know, I’m not sure if we’re going to be here,” Chiaverini told BSN Denver.

Chiaverini, 41, had served as co-offensive coordinator, receivers coach and recruiting coordinator in his three seasons at Colorado, all under head coach Mike Macintyre. When Mel Tucker was brought in to replace MacIntyre, Chiaverini didn’t know whether he’d be invited back.

“I was in limbo for a couple weeks, just like everybody else was,” Chiaverini said.

Tucker ditched seven assistant coaches but retained linebackers coach Ross Els, running backs coach Darian Hagan… and Chiaverini. Tucker says he knew he wanted to bring back Chiaverini “immediately.”

“When you go into a new situation, even if the program has been losing, it’s not all bad. Just like we’ve got good players here, there’s good coaches,” Tucker told BSN Denver. “It’s hard to find good coaches; guys who can coach, and recruit, that want to be at CU. He was a guy that I targeted and thought, ‘If he wants to stay, then I want to keep him.'”

After their initial meeting, the pair spent plenty of time together. Chiaverini showed Tucker around the Buffs’ recruiting territory, primarily Texas and California, and introduced the new head coach to some of Colorado’s targets.

At Pac-12 Media Day in Los Angeles, six months after they first met, Tucker announced he was promoting Chiaverini to assistant head coach.

“It’s just an honor,” Chiaverini said. “I bleed black and gold and it’s an honor that Coach Tucker would think of me in that light. I’m really excited.”

While Chiaverini’s bond with Tucker has blossomed quickly, one standout Buff has worked with the Buffs since ariving in Boulder.

“He basically put me on the spot and I showed up,” star wide receiver Laviska Shenault said. “He’s helped my game a lot.”

Like Shenault, Chiaverini was a wide receiver for the Buffs. In 1998, Chaiverini was a team captain. He put up 52 catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Buffs to their third-straight bowl victory.

Then, Chiaverini was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 NFL Draft. He caught 44 passes for 487 yards and four touchdowns, but injuries derailed his career. Chiaverini suffered a concussion in the season-opener in his second season and saw limited time early in the year. He missed the last six weeks with a knee injury.

He caught 10 passes for the Cowboys in 2001, then missed half the next season with a quadriceps injury. He jumped to the Arena Football league in 2004, where he caught 33 touchdowns in three seasons.

As a coach, Chiaverini led special teams and receivers groups beginning in 2006. His big breaks came with UCLA (2009), Texas Tech (2014) and Colorado (2016).

Shenault is the most recent of a flock of standout wide receivers to pass through CU during Chiaverini’s time as the position coach. Devin Ross, Bryce Bobo, Shay Fields and Nelson Spruce have all received training camp invites. Juwann Winfree was a 2019 draft pick of the Denver Broncos and is still with the team.

However, Laviska Shenault is still Chiaverini’s crown jewel.

“I’m so grateful he’s my coach,” Shenault said.

Chiaverini’s impact isn’t isolated to the defensive side of the ball, either. Junior linebacker Nate Landman said Chiaverini is an important part of the locker room.

“Coach Chev was here when I was here,” Landman said. “I mean, he played in the NFL; it’s always great to have that knowledge. He’s a great recruiter. He definitely knows what he’s doing.”