Indiana Hiring NFL Assistant Coach As Co-Offensive Coordinator
12/30/2024 05:25 PM
The Indiana Hoosiers finalized a new hiring on Monday.
Before Indiana's opening-round College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the program was adding Chandler Whitmer to its staff. The Hoosiers confirmed the hiring, announcing Whitmer as Curt Cignetti's new quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator alongside Mike Shanahan.
"I am fired up to join Coach Cignetti, Coach Shanahan, and the Hoosiers program," Whitmer said in a university release. "What they did this past season in such a short amount of time was tremendous and the future is incredibly bright. I am excited to learn from everyone, bring some things from my experiences, and develop the quarterback position."
Whitmer spent the 2024 season as a pass-game specialist for the Atlanta Falcons. He helped develop rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who's started the last two games in place of Kirk Cousins.
Whitmer previously worked with Justin Fields at Ohio State and Trevor Lawrence at Clemson as a graduate assistant. The former Illinois and UConn quarterback spent three years with the Los Angeles Chargers as an offensive quality control coach. Justin Herbert amassed 5,014 passing yards and 38 touchdowns during his first year with Whitmer in 2021.
"Chandler came very highly recommended and has been involved with the development of a number of top-flight quarterbacks," Cignetti said. "We're excited he's joining the organization, and he will do a terrific job developing our quarterbacks."
Indiana procured a new quarterback for Whitmer to develop. According to Thamel, Fernando Mendoza signed his paperwork to transfer from California.
Mendoza notched a 68.7 completion percentage with 3,004 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and six picks during his sophomore season. He's the presumptive favorite to replace Kurtis Rourke, who led the Hoosiers to an 11-2 season with 29 passing touchdowns and 9.5 yards per attempt.
Indiana scored 41.3 points per game, second in the nation behind Miami. However, the Hoosiers' season ended with a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame on Dec. 20.
Related: Indiana Lands Huge Quarterback Transfer After College Football Playoff Loss
