QB Profile: Darius Chaffin, Pacific Lutheran

A talented athlete scratching the surface of his potential

After taking a closer look at the abilities and potential of Puget Sound quarterback Mason Binning I wanted to do the same with another Northwest Conference quarterback who is also entering their senior season.

Pacific Lutheran’s Darius Chaffin.

Listed at 6’ and 175lbs since attending PLU, Chaffin came to Parkland, WA via W.R. Farrington High School in Honolulu, HI where he competed in 110m & 300m hurdles in addition to football.

While he emerged as the starting quarterback for the Lutes in 2023, he had also found success with the Track & Field program during his freshman year, winning the Northwest Conference Championship in Javelin after having never thrown one before the season.

Recently, he was also featured in a photoshoot with Under Amour along with Lutes Women’s Soccer athlete Kiana Gutierrez. PLU Athletic Director Mike Snyder has done a great job opening doors through NIL for his athletes that have been slower to present themselves at the D3 level.

In his first season as the starter Chaffin led the Lutes to a (5-5, 4-3) record while completing 173/254 pass attempts (68%) for 2,183 yards, 19 TDs, and 10 INTs. The athletic quarterback also added 340 yards on the ground across 120 carries (including sacks) with 7 TDs.

He had a couple of eye-catching stat lines this past season, but how did his abilities show up in-game?

He did throw for 252 yards and 4 TDs against Willamette, but with the way the Bearcats performed in conference play, any results against them last season need to be taken with a grain of salt.

So ignoring that game, here's a look at 3 more performances from this past season.

Game 1 - September 9 at Concordia (MN)

Going back to their second game of the season, and first road match, the Lutes took on the Concordia (MN) Cobbers out in Moorhead on Minnesota's western border with North Dakota. A tough test for an inexperienced quarterback as the Cobbers prevailed 26-21, but Chaffin finished with a career-high 340 yards on 26/41 passing with 2 TDs and an INT.

Pressure was relentless and controlled his attempts at running with the ball as he only netted 7 yards on the ground across 21 attempts. When Chaffin has a crease up the middle he's very quick to accelerate through a gap and gain positive yardage. Small improvements in blocking could open up a lot of opportunities with a more focussed QB option attack this coming Fall.

The majority of the passing game came down to quick middle screens and passes into the flat, but he also had opportunities to push the ball downfield.

He definitely presented as being quite raw in this game with inconsistent mechanics and accuracy. He did look more comfortable as the game went on with the potential of his athleticism flashing. I am looking forward to the rematch of this game on September 14 as the Cobbers head to the Pacific Northwest.

Game 2 - October 21 vs Lewis & Clark College

This was one of those games that nearly could not have gone any better. In the Lutes 49-14 victory Chaffin completed 17/20 attempts for 276 yards and 5 TDs in addition to 7 carries for 63 yards and another TD on the ground. The other touchdown in this game came on an opening kickoff return and they never looked back.

Everything was working for Chaffin and I don't believe he had an incompletion in the first half. The passing offense was still largely based around the middle screen, dumpoffs in the flats and shallow crossers. They pushed the ball deeper more often which culminated in an 84-yard catch and run TD in the 4th quarter.

He made clear strides in his development between the Cobbers game and this one. Chaffin was hitting timing routes on time and with more consistent ball placement. I wonder if the volume of playaction and RPOs in their offense is inhibiting his ability to execute as a passer at times as it can take his eyes off of where he wants to go with the ball and delays getting his footwork sorted.

One thing that has become apparent to me between Chaffin and Mason Binning is that without elite protection, quick execution is much more valuable than worrying about progressions and going for the big play; 5-yard gains will generally be there for the taking. Chaffin is capable of so much as a runner it is surprising that he does not have larger rushing numbers, but perhaps the Lutes could scheme him lighter boxes to improve his rushing efficiency.

Game 3 - November 4 vs Linfield

The statistics for this game looked like regression, but there’s always something to learn looking at competition against the apex program of the Northwest Conference.

The offense struggled through 3 quarters as most of the success on the day came after Linfield made the score 42-0 early in the 4th. Three touchdowns tightened the final to 42-19, but it was hardly a contest once Linfield got rolling in the 2nd quarter.

By the final whistle Chaffin had completed 23/36 for 256 yards and 2 TDs and 4 INTs. Due to sacks he was held to -19 rushing yards, though he still showed his ability to cover ground quickly when given a little bit of space.

The first interception came on a throw down the seam where it appeared he didn't see the linebacker in coverage who stepped in front of the ball and caught it easily. The next one was more forgivable as it was a lofted pass into the endzone on the final play of the first half and although the play happened out of view of the camera, the announcers felt the WR was interfered with which prevented him from making a play on the ball.

The last 2 interceptions came on consecutive offensive plays. For the first, Chaffin was looking to push the ball downfield along the right sideline but it was thrown with a somewhat flat trajectory and slightly underthrown as the defensive back was fully between the ball and receiver. For the next one, Chaffin rolled out to his left and lofted the ball down the field but it was simply a poor decision and poor throw and easily intercepted.

But what were the positives from this game?

He never seemed flustered and appeared to reset well mentally play to play. He didn't appear to show his frustration from what I could see; he has the sort of level-headed demeanor that you want in a quarterback.

He did have to leave the game for a play after a run later in the game, but overall he doesn't seem to take hard hits and gives himself up when appropriate to protect himself.

Although his accuracy can be inconsistent, I would like to see him step into more throws and look for those deeper crossing/post routes that he can drive the ball into. He has the arm talent to be more aggressive.

I plan to put the time into watching Chaffin closely this Fall as I think he has enough ability to find a way to continue playing past his time at PLU, even if that does involve looking internationally.