The Indiana Hoosiers won the national championship on the strength of Fernando Mendoza. As the Heisman Trophy winner, he was the best player in college football. Mendoza was able to dice up defenses all the way to a national title.
Indiana becoming a national champion wouldn’t have been possible without the work of the coaching staff. Curt Cignetti has already shown himself to be perhaps the best coach in college football, but his assistant coaches deserve some credit, as well.
One of the key assistants under Cignetti has decided to leave the Hoosiers for an opportunity in the NFL.
GettyIndiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti looks on. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Indiana Hoosiers Lose QB Coach to the NFL
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Indiana quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer has taken a job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That leaves the Hoosiers without a key member of their coaching staff heading into the offseason. Whitmer spent one year with the Hoosiers.
Prior to working at Indiana, he spent three seasons with the Chargers and one season with the Falcons. His previous work in college football was with Clemson and Ohio State as a graduate assistant. Now, he is returning to the NFL to be the new quarterbacks coach for the Buccaneers.
Cignetti will now have to replace a key member of the coaching staff with spring practice just a few weeks away from starting. The Hoosiers will have a new starting quarterback next season, as well. Josh Hoover, a former TCU QB, will likely be the new starting quarterback for IU.
The Hoosiers will no longer be the underdog next season as the defending national champs. Their schedule sets up for them to make the College Football Playoff again, as they don’t play Oregon, Illinois, or Penn State next season. They still have to face Ohio State and Michigan.
GettyIndiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti looks on. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Indiana Hoosiers Need Curt Cignetti Now More Than Ever
Without Whitmer on staff, the Hoosiers will need Cignetti to coach better than ever. His ability to identify talent in the Transfer Portal has been a big reason for their rapid climb to become the best team in college football. That portal help will be needed to continue next season.
Hoover will need to have a new QB coach help him along next season. With so many coaches already embedded at other college football programs, it’s unclear where Cignetti will turn to replace Whitmer. There is a chance that he will promote internally to fill that void.
If the Indiana Hoosiers aren’t ready to keep up the strong play at the quarterback position, they might end up regressing next season, although they should still make the 12-team College Football Playoff. It would be surprising to see them completely fall off.
Whitmer will get a chance to work with Baker Mayfield next season. Meanwhile, Mendoza is likely going to be the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Key Indiana Hoosiers Coach Who Helped Fernando Mendoza Jumps to NFL