Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti will have his third quarterbacks coach in as many seasons at the helm of Indiana football.
Chandler Whitmer, who served as the Hoosiers’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2025, accepted the quarterbacks coach role with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The 34-year-old Whitmer previously interviewed for the position late last month and had multiple offers elsewhere in the NFL.
Whitmer first arrived in Bloomington in December 2024 after four seasons as an NFL assistant coach — three with the Los Angeles Chargers and one with the Atlanta Falcons. He previously made stops at Yale University, Ohio State and Clemson University as a graduate assistant.
Whitmer succeeded Tino Sunseri, who left Indiana to become UCLA’s offensive coordinator for the 2025 season. However, Sunseri lasted just four games in Westwood and has yet to find a new coaching role.
Whitmer did a “great job” in developing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza throughout the Hoosiers’ 16-0 season, Cignetti said Nov. 24. Mendoza — the presumed No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft — threw 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions en route to the program’s first national championship.
Whitmer’s tutelage wasn’t limited to just on-field coaching, however.
“I don’t think I can put into words how much Coach Whitmer has meant to me, not only on the physical standpoint but also the mental standpoint in the game,” Mendoza said Nov. 19. “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.”
Now, both Mendoza and Whitmer are headed to the NFL.
Whitmer’s move to Tampa reunites him with Zac Robinson, who the Buccaneers hired as their offensive coordinator Jan. 22. The two spent 2024 together with the Falcons — Robinson in the same role and Whitmer as the pass-game specialist.
Cignetti is now tasked with replacing just his second on-field assistant throughout his tenure at Indiana, which brought in Texas Christian University transfer quarterback Josh Hoover as Mendoza’s successor.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
