The Indiana Hoosiers just completed one of the best seasons in college football history. Going 16-0 and capping it off with a national championship is a feat unlike anything the sport has ever seen — and the fact Indiana pulled it off only made the run that much more impressive.
The Hoosiers reached that level by building what looked like a well-oiled machine, rarely making the kinds of mistakes that can swing games at the highest level.
A major part of that formula was experience. Indiana was one of the oldest rosters in college football, with players averaging around 23 years old, according to The Sporting News’ Dan Treacy.
“Indiana absolutely has an experienced team, but any word of an average age of a college football roster should be taken with a grain of salt,” Treacy wrote. “Most players’ exact ages and birthdays are not available, making talk of an ‘average age’ of a roster with about 100 players just guesswork — particularly when only 22 of them are regular starters.”
Still, age and experience clearly mattered. So did elite coaching, led by head coach Curt Cignetti. Now, one of Cignetti’s top assistants could be drawing interest from the NFL .
Indiana May Lose Offensive Coordinator
After watching what Indiana accomplished this season under Cignetti, it was only a matter of time before other teams — in college or the NFL — began looking at his staff.
According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe , Hoosiers offensive coordinator Chandler Whitmer interviewed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the team’s quarterbacks coach job.
“There had been some whispers about Whitmer getting some NFL looks,” TheHoosier.com’s Alex Lashley said. “Obviously an NFL background before coming to Indiana and a terrific season — with high praise from Fernando Mendoza as well.”
Under Whitmer, Indiana ranked No. 3 nationally in scoring offense this season, averaging 41.6 points per game. The Hoosiers also ranked No. 17 in total offense at 452 yards per game and finished No. 3 in fewest giveaways.
Those numbers, along with Whitmer’s role in helping turn quarterback Fernando Mendoza into a Heisman Trophy winner and potential No. 1 pick, would make him an attractive option at the next level. Whitmer is still relatively young in his coaching career, but his résumé is already climbing quickly.
Whitmer began as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2019 before spending the following season at Clemson. From 2021-23, he moved to the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers . He later served as the Atlanta Falcons’ passing game coordinator in 2024 before joining Indiana.
Buccaneers Struggling for Consistency on Offense
Even with quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receivers Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay struggled offensively in 2025.
After missing the playoffs, the Buccaneers fired first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard and quarterbacks coach Thaddeus Lewis.
Tampa Bay has already replaced Grizzard with former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson . Now, the question becomes whether Whitmer could be the next addition to help stabilize the offense and develop Mayfield even further.
If Whitmer does return to the NFL, it could be a major loss for Indiana after a historic season — especially with questions remaining about who would replace him in one of the most important roles on the staff.
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