Colorado State tight end Nader Chirchi wasn’t recruited by Jim Mora and his UConn staff out of high school at that position.
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Mora recruited him to be an offensive tackle, a position Chirchi had played in high school while also spending time at tight end.
He was willing to do whatever he was asked by Mora, though, because he was the coach who gave him a chance. That is also why Chirchi, who has a touchdown catch in each of CSU’s past four games, followed his head coach to Fort Collins.
“It was falling in love with the staff and the schemes and everything,” Chrichi said of his decision to play at UConn. “Coming out of high school, these guys really showed me that they can put me into the position where I want to be and really develop me. I believed they would continue doing the same when I came here to Colorado State. So, I really just wanted to follow them, continue with the same playbook and all that.”
A native of Virginia, Chirchi caught Mora’s eye out of high school and redshirted at UConn in 2023. By his third season with the Huskies last year, he was appearing in every game for them.
Last season, he had three catches for 45 yards.
“It’s interesting because we initially recruited him at UConn thinking it would be at offensive tackle,” Mora said. “He has that body structure. Now he is a receiving tight end. It’s kind of a big transition, but one of the reasons we kept him at tight end is he has good hands, soft hands, and he could go up and catch it.
“So, I’ve seen him develop a lot as a blocker and now, we thought, ‘OK, he’s going to be a good blocking tight end,’ but then he’s developed into a good receiving tight end as well as someone who’s very dependable.”
The transition wasn’t hard for Chirchi. At 6-foot-7, he has the ability to catch and block. He has been a valuable asset to the team doing both.
He has learned to play both positions and is willing to contribute anywhere he is needed.
“I came in under coach (Christian) Pace, who is now the offensive line coach,” Chirchi said. “I was kind of learning everything a tackle would learn, but still mixing in a bunch of tight end responsibilities, rules and just continuing to develop well as a tight end.”
Chichi has only five catches this season, but four of them have been for touchdowns. He had a season-high two receptions last week against Texas State. One was his fourth touchdown catch and the other was his first non-scoring catch of the season.
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He will look to keep his production going Saturday when the Rams host San Diego State at 4:30 p.m. at Canvas Stadium.
As with other players on the Rams roster, there are plays and situations designed specifically for him.
“I see myself as the ‘Y’ (receiver), like the blocking ‘Y,’ who can go down on routes and every now and then get a ball or two,” Chirchi said. “But the first goal is, hand in the dirt and get some yards for the backs and work with the O-line.
“It’s kind of just doing what we’re told, doing what we’re supposed to do, executing our plays. I’m trying to do whatever helps the team succeed. So, if I get no targets throughout the whole game, that’s fine. I’d rather just throw somebody to the ground, get some good yards in the run game. But if my number gets called in the end zone, I’m not going to complain. I’ll take a couple of touchdowns.”
Mora is appreciative of Chirchi’s willingness to do whatever is asked of him and grateful to have such a versatile weapon as part of the team’s offense.
He has all the skills to be an asset as a blocking lineman or a receiving tight end.
“He’s more of a target all over the field,” Mora said. “We’ve developed things for him, and we want to keep developing, keep expanding, keep doing things like that. He’s 6-(foot)-7, 6-8 and he stretches out. He’s got long arms and he’s got, like I said, soft hands and body awareness.”
Chirchi believes the Rams’ offense has played well, but also that it hasn’t yet reached its full potential.
That includes converting first and second downs and not reaching thirds and fourths and having to punt.
“I definitely think we could step it up way better,” he said. “We’ve had some times in games where we had three-and-outs and that’s just not our identity. You’re got to be more physical, more tough. We’ve really got to win first and second down.”
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