Indiana football is heading into another offseason of change - and this time, it’s the quarterback room that’s taking the biggest hit.
Chandler Whitmer, who played a key role in the Hoosiers’ historic 2025 season as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is officially headed to the NFL. He’s joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their new quarterbacks coach, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
This marks the third straight year Indiana will have a new voice leading its quarterbacks, as head coach Curt Cignetti continues to navigate a rapidly evolving coaching staff. But Whitmer’s departure isn’t just another line on the résumé carousel - it’s a significant loss for a program coming off the most successful season in school history.
Whitmer, 34, arrived in Bloomington in December 2024 after spending four years in the NFL as an assistant - three with the Chargers and one with the Falcons. Before that, he cut his teeth at the college level with stops at Yale, Ohio State, and Clemson as a graduate assistant. He was brought in to replace Tino Sunseri, who left to become UCLA’s offensive coordinator in 2025 but lasted just four games in Westwood.
In his lone season with Indiana, Whitmer helped orchestrate a dream campaign. The Hoosiers went 16-0 and captured their first-ever national championship, powered by the sensational play of quarterback Fernando Mendoza - who, under Whitmer’s guidance, blossomed into a Heisman Trophy winner and the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns against just six interceptions, a staggering stat line that speaks to both his talent and the system built around him. But what stood out even more was the bond between coach and quarterback - one that clearly went beyond playbooks and practice reps.
“I don’t think I can put into words how much Coach Whitmer has meant to me,” Mendoza said back in November. “Not only on the physical standpoint but also the mental standpoint in the game. He’s been such a blessing and honestly one of the huge reasons that I’ve been having the season we’ve had so far.”
That kind of praise doesn’t come lightly - especially from a player who just led his team to a perfect season and national title. And it speaks volumes about Whitmer’s ability to connect with his players, develop their skill sets, and prepare them for the next level.
Cignetti echoed that sentiment after the season, saying Whitmer did a “great job” developing Mendoza throughout the year. And with Mendoza now headed to the NFL himself, the two will make the leap to the pros together - albeit on different teams.
For Indiana, the challenge now is twofold: replace a quarterback who just delivered the greatest season in school history, and find a coach who can continue that level of development in a room that’s suddenly wide open.
Cignetti has proven he can adapt - and win - amid change. But as the Hoosiers turn the page on a magical 2025, the next chapter starts with a big question mark under center and a vacancy in the quarterback room that won’t be easy to fill.