Colorado Hiring Unexpected Candidate As New Head Coach

Colorado Hiring Unexpected Candidate As New Head Coach

Colorado is hiring an unexpected candidate as its new head coach now that the two most prominent names available have backed out.

Heading into Thursday, Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy were both being discussed as potential Mel Tucker replacements.

Unfortunately, within 24 hours, both men pulled their names out of contention.

Sarkisian will remain with the Crimson Tide and receive a new deal that will make him one of college football’s highest paid assistants.

Bienemy will stay in Kansas City and is widely considered a favorite to land an NFL head coaching gig come next year.

So who does that leave Colorado with?

According to ESPN college football insider Adam Rittenberg, the school is currently “resetting a bit” in terms of its coaching search.

With Steve Sarkisian and Eric Bienemy out, #Colorado‘s search is resetting a bit, according to sources. Bret Bielema, Troy Calhoun and Darrin Chiaverini all have interviewed for the job, but other candidates also being considered.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) February 21, 2020

While New York Giants linebacker coach Bret Bielema and Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun remain in contention, a new interesting name has emerged from the fray: assistant coach Darrin Chiaverini.

Whereas Bielema and Calhoun would bring a lot of experience and success/failure to the table, Chiaverini is more of a blank slate.

The 42-year-old played wide receiver at Colorado before going to have an eight-year career in the NFL. From there, Chiaverini went into coaching – spending time at UCLA and Texas Tech before ultimately returning to Colorado in 2016.

When Tucker came over in 2019, he opted to retain Chiaverini as an assistant.

After Tucker left to take the Michigan State job last week, Chiaverini was named interim head coach.

Chiaverini, for his part, very much wants the top spot.

“If I was given the opportunity to be the head coach at Colorado, I’ll be here for a very, very long time,” he said.

While Chiaverini certainly lacks the name recognition of a Bielema, he also comes without a lot of the baggage. In the end, he may be precisely the type of candidate Colorado needs to avoid another Tucker-like situation next year.

Who will the school ultimately hire as its next head coach? A final decision should come down within the next few days.

Related: Sean Payton Responds To Taysom Hill, Saints QB Situation

Michael Kyaw

Michael Kyaw, initially a PR Manager, built up a valuable network of connections in the sports world that he then utilized to become an influential sports business reporter. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, Fansided, ESPN and the Wall Street Journal.