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By Anne Erickson
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The college football season is over and ended on Monday, Jan. 19, with the Indiana Hoosiers towering over the Miami Hurricanes with a 27-21 final score to win the national championship. Now, Indiana football is officially in the offseason with a championship win and bragging rights, but the Hoosiers are losing a key member of their staff.
The Hoosiers, of course, became American sweethearts thanks to quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy in early 2025. Mendoza and the team wrapped up the 2025-26 season with an undefeated record, which is extraordinary.
"I want to give all the glory and thanks to God," Mendoza said in a postgame interview following Indiana victory over Miami. "My offensive lineman blocked perfectly, and we were able to execute the team towards a common goal."
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Elsewhere in the interview, Mendoza thanked his family and friends for their support, plus Indiana University’s football coaches "for taking a chance on me." He also, again, said that he wanted to "give all the glory to God."
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Mendoza will be in the NFL for the 2026-27 season, and now, the Indiana Hoosiers' quarterbacks coach will also be gone from Indiana. On Tuesday, college football senior writer for ESPN Pete Thamel announced Indiana quarterback coach Chandler Whitmer is going to the NFL.
"Sources: Indiana quarterback coach Chandler Whitmer has accepted a job with the Tampa Bay Bucs," he stated on X. "Whitmer was Fernando Mendoza's quarterback coach during this Heisman Trophy season, Whitmer’s lone year at IU."
More sports news: Indiana, Curt Cignetti Could Lose Prominent Play-Caller Amid NFL Interest
Thamel added, "Whitmer has spent three seasons with the Chargers and one with the Falcons prior to coming to Indiana. He also worked at Clemson and Ohio State as a graduate assistant."
The move got mixed reviews. "One good year at Indiana and he's NFL-bound? The Bucs are really banking on that 'Mendoza Magic' to fix Baker's accuracy issues. Good luck," one follower said. "This new era will be noticed and awardable," another said.
This will mark the second consecutive offseason the Indiana Hoosiers will have to bring in a new quarterbacks coach. The team hired Whitmer last year after Tino Sunseri left to take on the role of UCLA's offensive coordinator.
More sports news: Sean McVay, Rams Could Land Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza in Blockbuster Deal
The move to the NFL isn't new, by any means, for Whitmer. He came to Indiana following spending 2024 with the Atlanta Falcons as pass game specialist. Before being with the Falcons, he was an offensive quality control coach for the Los Angeles Chargers.
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