Atlanta Falcons Coach Poached by Indiana Hoosiers

The Indiana Hoosiers are expected to hire Atlanta Falcons pass game specialist Chandler Whitmer as head coach Curt Cignetti’s new quarterback coach and co-offensive coordinator according to Pete Thamel. That's a nice promotion for the 33-year-old Whitmer.

There are promotions for everyone in this situation, as Whitmer now replaces Tino Sunseri in Bloomington following Sunseri’s hiring as UCLA’s new offensive coordinator. It's worth noting, Sunseri will finish out Indiana’s season as they face Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Friday night.

In a twist of fate, the announcement that Whitmer will take the job with the Hoosiers comes the week Michael Penix Jr. was named the starting quarterback for the Falcons. Penix spent four-injury-plagued years with the Hoosiers, passing for 4,197 and 29 touchdowns before his transfer to the Washington Huskies.

Whitmer was one of two passing game specialists employed by the Falcons. Tim Berbenich shared the duties, adding game management to his title. Whitmer's move could open the door for offensive assistants K.J. Black or Patrick Kramer to rise up through the ranks.

Chandler Whitmer's Bio Courtesy Atlanta Falcons:

Whitmer spent the past three seasons (2021-23) as an offensive quality control coach for the Los Angeles Chargers where he primarily assisted the quarterbacks in addition to weekly preparation and day-to-day operations for the offensive coaching staff.

In 2023, Whitmer helped quarterback Justin Herbert to complete 297-of-456 pass attempts (65.1 percent) for 3,134 yards and 20 touchdowns to seven interceptions, registering a 93.2 passer rating. He also rushed for three touchdowns prior to being placed on Reserve/Injured following Week 14. Through the first three weeks of the season, Herbert owned the second-highest passer rating in the NFL with a mark of 112.9. Since entering the league in 2020, Herbert has completed 1,613 passes, the most by a player in his first four seasons in NFL history, despite missing the final four games of the season.

In his first two seasons with Los Angeles, Whitmer helped coach the offense to rank third in passing offense (276.0 net passing yards per game) and fifth in total offense (374.8 total net yards per game) in the NFL from 2021-22. Whitmer was part of a staff that coached the offense to rank third in passing offense (269.6) and No. 9 in total offense (359.3) in the NFL in 2022. He helped Herbert continue to set records, as no player has more completions (1,316), passing yards (14,089) or total touchdowns (102) over the first three seasons of a career. Herbert is also the only quarterback in NFL history to begin a career with three consecutive seasons of 4,000-plus passing yards and the second player ever to throw 25 touchdowns in each of their first three years, joining Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

Whitmer's contributions helped Herbert earn his first career Pro Bowl nod after setting the single-season franchise records in passing yards (5,014), passing touchdowns (38) and completions (443) in 2021. The Chargers ranked first in the AFC in passing offense (282.4) in 2021, placing fourth in the NFL in total offense (390.2). The offensive unit's efficiency late in games was prominent, as the Bolts posted the second-most fourth-quarter points scored by any team in a single season in NFL history (181). The offensive unit single-season team records for first downs (401) and passing touchdowns (38) in 2021.

Herbert became the third-youngest player in NFL history to eclipse 5,000 passing yards in a single season, adding an additional 302 rushing yards — the most by any 5,000-yard passer in league annals. Herbert's 38 passing scores took his career total to 69, setting the record for most by a QB through their first two pro seasons. Along with eight scores on the ground, Herbert's 77 combined career rushing and passing touchdowns are the most total touchdowns by any player in NFL history through their first two seasons.

Prior to joining the Chargers, Whitmer served as an offensive graduate assistant at Clemson, aiding the offensive coaching staff and working with the quarterback and wide receiver groups. He worked closely with Trevor Lawrence, the runner-up for the 2020 Heisman Trophy, as Clemson defeated No. 2 Notre Dame in the ACC Championship and appeared in the College Football Playoff for the sixth-straight season.

Whitmer contributed to offensive coaching staff at Ohio State University one season earlier in a graduate assistant role. In his lone season with the Buckeyes (2019), first-year signal-caller Justin Fields led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 regular record, defeating eighth-ranked Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes' berth in the College Football Playoff was the program's first appearance in the CFP since the 2016 season. The Atlanta, Ga., native aided Ohio State's offensive coaching staff after serving one season as an offensive quality control coach at Yale University.

As a player, Whitmer logged 24 starts under center for the University of Connecticut from 2012-14, later earning a rookie minicamp invite from the Philadelphia Eagles. He culminated his Huskies career ranked fourth in program history in career completions (403) and passing yards (5,082), while ranking sixth all-time in UConn annals with 25 passing scores. Whitmer started his collegiate career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, before transferring and playing the 2011 season at Butler (Kan.) Community College. In his lone season at Butler, Whitmer was named NJCAA All-America honorable mention after leading Butler to a top-five national ranking.