Xaverian standout athlete Dave Chiavegato announced on Monday evening that he was committing to UMass.
Chiavegato cited UMass Joe Harasymiak offering him in person and developing a relationship with him as the reasons he committed to the Minutemen.
Here is our interview with Chiavegato. He talks about what went into his decision, his future with UMass and his final season at Xaverian.
NEFJ: Why did you decide to commit to UMass? Why was the football program and school the right fit for you?
DC: Well I knew Coach Harasymiak cared about me when he came to my school and offered me himself and also took a chance on me as I had no previous offers. This meant a ton to me and the more I learned about UMass, the more I realized what was going on there and on my first visit when Coach Harasymiak had only been there just a few weeks and you could tell he had complete control of the team. He had completely changed my mind about what UMass Football was and after just being there one day, I had completely forgotten about the not so great recent history of UMass. I loved what Coach H was doing and I could really see the vision that he and the coaching staff had for the program and I knew I wanted to be apart of what they were building. They also have an incredible Business school that I am very interested in as I hope to major in something Buisness related.
NEFJ: Are you playing offense or defense? Has Coach Harasymiak or the staff given you any indication of where you will play?
DC: “I will be playing safety and returning kicks which is great because Coach H has sent many players to the NFL for the safety position. I was also told that if I handle those responsibilities well I could potentially be seeing opportunities on the other side of the ball as well.”
NEFJ: How much did you lean on your family, Coach Fornaro and the rest of the coaching staff when it came to making this decision?
DC: “A lot because my family obviously has a great read on who I am and they see how happy I was when I talked about UMass which is why my sisters and my parents all were leaning towards UMass. Coach Fornaro, Coach White, and Coach Carven have always been there to help me out with my recruiting and when It came down to making my decision they supported me and were very happy with where I ended up.”
NEFJ: Was it important to you to play closer to home? Did that factor into your decision?
DC: “For me, I just always wanted to play football for a program that wants me. As I was going through the recruiting process I realized how great it would be to represent my home state across my chest. And so yes, ultimately it did factor into my decision and I am extremely grateful to be able to play in front of a great Massachusetts football community.”
NEFJ: Has it sunk in yet that you are going to realize your childhood dream and play Division 1 college football?
DC: “It has, and I am extremely grateful to be in this position as my parents have sacrificed a lot for me to be here. I am super excited to be able to take the next step in my journey and play Division 1 football. The goal is to go to the NFL so I have got to keep working with that in mind.”
NEFJ: Finally. Thoughts on your final season at Xaverian. What are your personal and team goals for the upcoming season?
DC: “This season in particular has more meaning than the rest for me and the other seniors on this team. We have set ourselves up to make history by winning 2 straight championships for Xaverian. The team and myself only have one goal, and that is to win that third ring by any means necessary.”