Darrin Chiaverini hired as Northeastern State's head football coach

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Darrin Chiaverini will serve as the 21st Head Football Coach at Northeastern State University, announced today by NSU Director of Athletics, John Sisemore. Chiaverini most recently served as the head coach at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. A press conference will take place at the Northeastern State University Broken Arrow campus (Administrative Services - Annex Building) at 3 p.m. on December 20 and will be webcast at GoRiverHawksGo.com/CoachChev.

"After an extensive search with well over 150 candidates, the hiring committee is confident Chiaverini meets and exceeds our desired qualifications. We needed a glass-half-full leader who will build on the great things NSU has to offer," said Sisemore. "After talking with coach Chiaverini, I immediately recognized his leadership and coaching styles are the right fit at NSU. Drawing on his successes as a Division I and professional football player, as well as coaching at all levels, he creates a distinct vision that all can follow."

"Coach Chiaverini exemplifies the character of what I pride myself on: A man of few words with relentless positive actions. This is the true makeup of our community as well as our institution. The community of Tahlequah, the great Cherokee Nation, as well as the NSU family, have established a culture of blue-collar work ethic. Our community has a relentless desire to meet and overcome challenges head-on. Together with Coach Chiaverini, we are ready to collectively show the world why we are so proud of our community and NSU."

The former NFL and University of Colorado wide receiver brings a wealth of experience to Tahlequah, having coached at the NCAA Division 1 and junior college levels for 16 years. Chiaverini comes to NSU from Chaffey College, where he took over a program that was a combined 2-18 during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. In his first season with the Panthers, he completely revitalized the program, coaching the team to an 11-0 record and ending the season as the American Metro Conference Champions and 2023 American Division Bowl Champions.

Chiaverini’s other coaching accolades from the 2023 campaign include QB Dereun Dortch being named American Metro Conference MVP and Chiaverini being awarded the title of American Metro Conference Coach of the Year, along with 3C2A Region IV California Coach of the Year. The Panthers also set four school records during the 2023 campaign, including 46.0 ppg (ranked #1 in conference, T-#1 in CA), 513.0 ypg (ranked #1 in conference, #2 in CA), 58% - 3rd Down Conversions (ranked #1 in conference, #1 in CA), and 89% - Red Zone Scoring (ranked #1 in conference, #1 in CA).

Chiaverini spent the 2022 season as a senior analyst for UCLA. Under his leadership, UCLA’s offense was ranked fourth in the country with 507.8 ypg, and ranked ninth in the country averaging 39.6 ppg. UCLA finished the season ranked 17th in the final AP Poll, and earned a berth in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

Before his time at UCLA, Chiaverini was on the staff of his alma mater, the University of Colorado, filling several positions during his tenure from 2016-2021. In those six years, he was wide receivers coach (all six years), offensive coordinator (five seasons), assistant head coach (one year), and briefly interim head coach, while also serving in the dual role of recruiting coordinator. He has been nationally recognized for his recruiting efforts; Rivals.com named him one of the top 25 recruiters in the country for the three recruiting classes pre-COVID (2018, 2019, and 2020).

Under Chiaverini's mentorship during his time at Colorado, he coached five receivers that finished among the university’s all-time top 20 in yards (passing Chiaverini on the list, dropping him down to 21st). He also worked with the top two quarterbacks in passing yards in CU history, Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez.

Chiaverini was the special teams coordinator and outside receivers coach during the 2014-15 seasons for Texas Tech. During his tenure with the Red Raiders, he recruited from the Dallas, Houston, and the Southern California regions. One of his players, Jakeem Grant, earned second-team All-America honors as kick returner for the 2015 season.

Prior to his time at Texas Tech, he spent four years at Riverside (Calif.) City College from 2010-13, where he was the associate head coach and co-offensive and special teams coordinator, in addition to being in charge of recruiting. Riverside was 40-5 during his four years and produced 15 NCAA Division I players.

His special teams units at Riverside were some of the best of the junior college ranks, with an impressive 22 blocked kicks in four seasons. Chiaverini coached the top punt returner in the state of California in 2011 and 2012, while Riverside's offense led California in scoring in 2011 and in total offense in 2013.

Before Riverside, he rejoined his college coach, Rick Neuheisel, as the assistant special teams coach at UCLA for the 2009 season. He helped pilot one of the top units in the Pac-10 conference and the Bruins captured the Eagle Bank Bowl trophy with a 30-21 win over Temple.

Chiaverini got his start in coaching at Mt. San Antonio College in 2007, starting as a receivers coach and then promoted to co-offensive coordinator in 2008.

Prior to his coaching career, Chiaverini was one of Neuheisel’s first commitments in Colorado’s 1995 recruiting class. He earned four letters from 1995-98 and served as one of the team captains his senior season. He caught 97 passes for 1,199 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 12.4 yards per reception in his career, exiting at the time as CU’s seventh all-time receiver. He remains in the top 15 in both catches and yards. He led the team as a senior with 52 catches for 630 yards and five scores.

He was a member of three CU bowl champion teams (Cotton, Holiday, and Aloha), making an additional 10 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns, one a 72-yard bomb from his best friend, quarterback Mike Moschetti, against Oregon in the ’98 Aloha Bowl.

He was a fifth-round selection by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 National Football League Draft and went on to set the club’s rookie receiving record with 44 catches for 487 yards and four touchdowns. He spent four years in the NFL, also playing for Dallas and Atlanta; he would conclude his NFL career with 62 catches for 662 yards and seven scores. He then finished his professional playing days with the Austin Wranglers in the Arena Football League.

“I'm excited to be named the Head Coach at Northeastern State University,” said Chiaverini. "First, I would like to thank Athletic Director John Sisemore, President Dr. Rodney Hanley, and the selection committee at NSU! I am looking forward to building relationships in the community of Tahlequah and in the state of Oklahoma. We will develop a Championship Culture at NSU through Recruitment, Retention, and Development! We will build a program that the Tahlequah community and the state of Oklahoma will be proud of!"

Chiaverini was born on October 12, 1977, in Orange, Calif., and graduated from Corona (Calif.) High School, where he was a USA Today honorable mention All-American in football and an All-County performer in baseball. He is married to Shannon (Burchfield) Chiaverini, and the couple has two children, Curtis, who was a player and student coach for the Colorado Buffaloes and currently serves as a graduate assistant for Abilene Christian University, and Kaylie who will be starting graduate school in the spring.