Indiana football is finalizing a deal with Tino Sunseri to return as the school’s quarterbacks coach. The Herald-Times’ Michael Niziolek first reported the move Tuesday.
Former Indiana quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer left the program earlier Tuesday to join the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the same role.
Following Whitmer’s departure, the Hoosiers will look to reunite with a familiar name in Sunseri, who served as the team’s quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2024. Sunseri coached then-Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who amassed over 3,000 passing yards and set a single-season program record with 29 touchdown passes –– a mark surpassed by Fernando Mendoza last season.
Sunseri agreed to become the new offensive coordinator at UCLA in December 2024. However, he struggled in his brief stint with the Bruins. Sunseri and the program mutually parted ways after just four games on Sept. 30. The Bruins began the season 0-4 and ranked 117th in the nation in yards per game with 321.2 at the time of the move.
Sunseri would reunite with head coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers. The two coached together at James Madison University from 2021-23, where Sunseri served as the Dukes’ quarterbacks coach.
The duo coached standouts at the quarterback position across all three seasons working together at JMU, with multiple players earning conference player of the year honors.
Now, Sunseri has the opportunity to coach quarterback Josh Hoover, who was brought in to replace Mendoza at the signal caller position for the Hoosiers in 2026. Hoover threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns at Texas Christian University in 2025.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
