Colorado has their (temporary) replacement for Mel Tucker.
The school announced offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini as the Buffaloes’ interim head coach in the wake of Tucker’s departure for Michigan State.
“I have a lot of confidence in Darrin to lead us through this interim period,” athletic director Rick George said. “He has been associated with the program beginning with his playing days 25 years ago and cares deeply about the Buffs.”
Chiaverini is likely the top internal candidate to replace Tucker long term as well. A wide-ranging coaching search is still expected to commence in Boulder that includes other names such as ex-Tennessee head coach Butch Jones, Boise State’s Bryan Harsin, former Broncos coach Vance Joseph and, most notably, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Like both Bieniemy and Joseph, Chiaverini is a CU alum and starred for Rick Neuheisel’s teams in the late 90’s. He also is one of the program’s top recruiters and has been co-offensive coordinator dating back to his hire under Mike MacIntyre in 2016.
“It’s an honor to be named the interim head coach at the University of Colorado, and my focus will be to help make it a smooth transition for the student-athletes and the program overall,” Chiaverini said. “This campus and the city of Boulder is where I grew up as a young man, and there’s no better place to be than CU. The pride and tradition of the Colorado Buffaloes is something every student-athlete, like myself, in the country should experience.”
The Buffs were originally set to open spring practice in mid-March and open the 2020 season at rival Colorado State on Sept. 5.