Colorado co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Darrin Chiaverini had a one-on-one interview with CUSportsNation.com. He spoke about the incoming wide receiver class, success in Texas, and more.
Also Read: Stenstrom is excited for his senior season | Recruiting Board: Receivers | Bryce Peters is coming into his own
Colorado Position Breakdown: Secondary | Front Seven
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It was big for you guys to keep KD Nixon committed after he took a hard look at Baylor. What did it take to pull that off?
Chiaverini: "I think whenever you're recruiting elite players, someone who is one of the top players at their position, usually you will have some drama down the stretch. It just kind of goes with the territory. At the end of the day, KD really likes what we do offensively. I think he likes that not only do I coach his position, I'm also a coordinator, and I played his position. I think that had something to do with it at the end. I know he really liked what we're about at CU. He really likes the coaches and the environment. He wanted to do something different, too. Things fell in line for him."
He has to be an offensive coordinator's dream, right? He's an incredible athlete.
Chiaverini: "I'm excited about how we're going to use him. We'll get the ball in his hands on fly sweeps, screens, stuff down the field, and obviously, on special teams he's going to an asset as well in the return game. He's someone that I targeted early in recruiting; I've been recruiting him since last January. It definitely was gratifying to see him sign with us."
Nixon's teammate, Laviska Shenault, is another great wide receiver that Colorado signed. What are your thoughts about him?
Chiaverini: "I think Laviska has a huge upside. He's 6-foot-2, 200-pounds. I think he ran a 4.37 last spring. With that kind of size and speed - obviously he played well in the state playoffs - it's always big in our offense. He's a guy that can stretch the field and also make the big third down catch. I'm excited for both of those guys. They're dynamic in what they do."
When Maurice Bell committed, he was locked in with Colorado. He seems like another excellent receiver that you guys signed.
Chiaverini: "I think Maurice is the sleeper of the group. He's a really smooth route runner and has had really good speed and ball skills. I watched him workout, and I was really impressed with his body control and how smooth he was. I think as he matures and gets in the weight room, you'll really see him blossom into a big-time college receiver. He has a huge upside, and I really enjoyed recruiting him. He has a great personality, and I think he'll mesh well with what we do."
What is your take on Jared Poplawski and what he'll bring to the CU offense?
Chiaverini: "Jared is someone that we targeted early, and coach Bernardi did a good job staying with him throughout the process. He plays a position [tight end] that we were looking to fill in this class. I'm not sure what it was at the end; I know he has ties to Arizona State with his family. I think maybe he wanted to do something a little bit different. He definitely fits what we want. He's a big, athletic kid that can block at the point of attack but also catch balls down the field. He's going to bring a dimension to us that we need in our offense. It's going to be fun to work with him."
How have you been so successful recruiting in the state of Texas? You guys locked up some talented recruits late in the process.
Chiaverini: "Recruiting comes down to relationships. We were able to build relationships early in the recruiting process last year Grant Polley, Chris Miller, KD Nixon, Laviska Shenault, Alex Fontenot, Will Sherman - we were able to really develop those relationships. I think you saw that hold true, even when big named schools came in and tried to come after some of our commits. They stayed strong because of the developed relationships throughout the process. It really comes down to putting more coaches down there, being active, and showing the brand. CU has had a lot of success in the past in recruiting Texas and the Dallas area. This was getting back to our roots as a program, and as someone who played in the glory days at CU and was a part of the golden era in the mid-90's, I thought it was something we had to get back to doing. We were successful in this cycle, and we're going to keep it going for next year."
With Chris Miller, are you fighting with the defensive coaches to have him play on offense? Or will he play defense?
Chiaverini: "He was someone that we targeted as an athlete, but I think you'll see him play corner in college. That's where he has a natural feel. He's a good offensive player as well, but he really wants to play corner. I think he's going to be really good at it."
I don't think any other college coaches out there are quite like you with their Twitter game. Do you see it as a big positive to be very active on social media?
Chiaverini: "I think it's been really good for us as a program. It's something that I believe in as a coach. It's free advertising, and it's a chance to advertise your program on a national scale and close the distance between Boulder and Dallas or Boulder and Southern California or Boulder and Northern California. I think it's important for us as coaches to be active. Kids nowadays are very active on social media, whether it's Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter. If you can close the distance between you and a certain recruit, it's going to pay dividends down the stretch for us as a program. It's something that I take very seriously, and you follow me on Twitter, so you know how active I am with it. It's been very beneficial for us."
On another note, how is Juwann Winfree doing in his recovery?
Chiaverini: "He looks great. I saw him this morning in the weight room, and he's working out hard. He's ahead of schedule in his rehab. I'm excited to get that guy back. We could've used him last year even though we have a talented receiving core. I think he brings a different dimension of size and speed to our receiving core. I'm excited to work with him because he was having the camp of all the receivers before he got hurt."
Also Read: Stenstrom is excited for his senior season | Recruiting Board: Receivers | Bryce Peters is coming into his own
Colorado Position Breakdown: Secondary | Front Seven
