Q&A with Colorado offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini

CUSportsNation.com spoke with Colorado offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini about a number of topics, including the 2018 recruiting class, the future of the "BlackOutBoyz," his first season as the Buffaloes' play caller, and more.

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Can you run through your three receiver signees with your take on those guys?

Chiaverini: "I'm really excited about all three of them. I think Dimitri Stanley is a kid that is very athletic and can play offense and defense. He's a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands. He's a kid that had pretty much all of the Pac-12 offers. He was a top player in the state of Colorado, and we wanted to keep him home. We were able to do that, and I'm excited about his future.

"Daniel Arias is 6-foot-4, 200-pounds and has a ton of upside with his length and speed. He was one of the fastest players in the state of Washington. I went and saw him play a playoff game, and I was really blown away by his ability to separate and get down the field. He's a kid that you're going to see big things from in the future.

"Dylan Thomas is a player that has all of the tools. He has really good speed, is smooth off the ball, and has good ball skills. Him and Daniel give us some length on the outside, and I think Dimitri is going to be a dynamic slot player for years to come. I'm really excited about that group."

Is Darrion Jones a guy that you think can play this season and what does he bring to your offense?

Chiaverini: "I'm really excited about Darrion because he fills a really big need for us. Obviously, we have our two tight ends right now with Chris Bounds and Jared Poplawski, but we needed to get a little bit more athletic and a little bit bigger there, and I think Darrion brings that to the table. He's going to fill some spots for us personnel-wise so we can be in four-wide, but he's a tight end in the slot. I really feel like he was someone that we had to have. If you watch his film, he's very athletic and a good call catcher. I'm excited that he's with us."

What are your thoughts about Blake Stenstrom and how good can he be down the road for you guys?

Chiaverini: "I got to know Blake really well because my son [Curtis] went to Valor. When Blake was a junior, I got to watch a lot of his games live. I probably saw six or seven games. Blake to me is a very, very polished high school quarterback. He has really good feet, really natural release, can throw on the run to his right and to his left, and obviously is the son of an NFL player in Steve Stenstrom. You can tell that he has a very, very good football IQ when you talk to him. I'm really impressed with him and excited that he's joining the group of quarterbacks that we have. I think we've done a good job of upgrading that room each and every year, and Blake brings a lot of tools that are going to suit well for him in our offense going forward."

Of the offensive signees in the 2018 class, are there any guys that you think people aren't talking about enough that could really blow up at Colorado?

Chiaverini: "I think Jarek Broussard is probably one of those guys because he's such a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands. He can play running back; he can play receiver. He's really got some natural ability. Deion Smith is also a guy that can take it to the house any time you give him the ball. I'm really excited about those two guys. They really fit what we were looking for at the tailback position and they're both explosive players. I'm really, really excited about getting those guys in our offense. Frank Fillip -- keeping him in the class was huge. Coach Adams did a really good job with him, and that kid is a cornerstone of the offense when you have a big 6-foot-5 left tackle."

Who are your really expecting to shine this season in your wide receiver group?

Chiaverini: "I'm really excited about Juwann [Winfree]. He obviously had some big games down the stretch last year for us. He's a big, physical kid that can run and catch. I'm looking for him to have a breakout year. Kabion Ento is a guy that redshirted for us last year and was probably one of our better receivers in spring ball and fall camp last year. I'm looking for big things to come from him. Tony Brown, the transfer from Texas Tech that I recruited out of California a couple years ago, he's a really smooth, fluid kid with really good speed and ball skills. I'm also really excited about the young guys in K.D. Nixon and Laviska Shenault, who both flashed last year for us at times, and they're really going to have the opportunity to touch the ball a lot more. Then you have a veteran guy like Jay MacIntyre, who has been around and knows the system. He makes plays when he gets opportunities. I'm really excited about his progress; he's really developed over the past couple of years. Jaylon Jackson is a kid that I had high, high hopes for and he got hurt in spring football last year. I'm excited to see what he can do when he's healthy. I'm looking forward to this group. I think it's a very talented group."

Is it crazy that you lose Shay, Devin, and Bryce, and your receiver group doesn't even drop off?

Chiaverini: "What's crazy is that you lose three guys that finish in the top 8 in the history of CU receivers, and we might have gotten a little better -- just because I think we've added the dimension of more speed on the field and size with speed. It's going to be a lot of fun with this group because there are no proven starters with this group, so the competition is going to be fierce. Last year, we had returners that had made a lot of plays and it might have hurt us a little bit in the sense of competition, but now, the spots are wide open and I see this group really competing against each other but also supporting each other. It's a cool group, and also, my son is there and I get the chance to coach him. He redshirted and he'll be in the mix to play on special teams and get reps on offense during the spring."

How cool is it for you to get your first opportunity as a play caller at your alma mater?

Chiaverini: "It's really exciting. It's obviously the natural progression in a coaching career, but for it to happen at my alma mater is an honor. It's something that I take very seriously. I'm excited to work with Klayton Adams and Kurt Roper. I think we have a good room of guys, and it's going to be exciting. I think you're going to see things done a little bit differently because when you have a different play caller, the philosophy changes a little bit. I'm looking forward to it."

Should we expect some more Texas Tech air-raid wrinkles in your offense?

Chiaverini: "I think you'll definitely see more up-tempo and we'll mix and match personnel. We're mostly a 10-personnel team (1 RB, 4 WR) and I think the evolution of college football is that you have to be 10 and 11-personnel (1RB, 1 TE, 3 WR). You'll see a mixture of that, but also, you'll see an influence of tempo and playing fast. We'll dictate the tempo of what we're trying to do and make the defense defend us that way. I'd much rather have the defense react to what we're doing."

What did you think about the hire of Kurt Roper and how is working with him so far?

Chiaverini: "It's been really good. He's obviously a proven play caller that has been in this business for a long time. It's good for me too because I can bounce ideas off of him. At the end of the day, it's going to be my decision of what we're going to do, but it's good to have someone there that's been through it. That's important and he's made a name for himself working with his development of quarterbacks. I'm excited. He has a really good personality and we mesh well. I look forward to working with him."

What do you expect from Steven Montez this season as a junior and having a year under his belt as the starting quarterback?

Chiaverini: "I think he's going to take a step forward with being with coach Roper and having another year in the system. A lot of the terminology will stay the same but the philosophy will change a little bit with how we attack people. I expect Steven to take a step forward not only on the field, but also from a leadership standpoint. He's not an underclassmen anymore, and he has to show that he can lead this offense, and I know he can.