Contract Details Released For New Indiana Football Assistant Chandler Whitmer

Chandler Whitmer, the pass-game specialist for the Atlanta Falcons, has agreed to become Indiana’s new quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator for the 2025 season.

Indiana football hired Chandler Whitmer as its new quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator. / Photo via Indiana Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Chandler Whitmer will be the fourth-highest paid Indiana football assistant coach in 2025, according to the memorandum of understanding documents obtained Friday by Hoosiers On SI through public records requests.

Indiana hired Whitmer to become the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator. He replaces Tino Sunseri, who held the same position at Indiana in 2024 before taking the offensive coordinator job at UCLA following the Hoosiers’ College Football Playoff appearance.

Whitmer and Indiana have agreed to a two-year contract through Jan. 15, 2027, that includes a base salary of $400,000 and $350,000 of outside marketing and promotional income. Whitmer would also receive a $50,000 retention bonus in February 2026 and 2027 if he remains employed with the university.

The agreement states that Whitmer is expected to finish the season with the Atlanta Falcons and will join Indiana as soon as he is practically able to do so following the season, but may be asked to assist the Indiana staff with recruiting phone calls as permitted by the Indiana Athletics Office of Compliance Services as soon as this MOU is executed. 

“I am fired up to join Coach Cignetti, Coach Shanahan, and the Hoosiers program,” Whitmer said in a news 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.”

Indiana retained 10 assistant coaches from head coach Curt Cignetti’s staff in 2024, and Whitmer’s deal features the same win-based incentives. That includes a bonus of 10% of their base salary for a bowl game appearance; 12% for a nine-win season; 15% for a 10-win season; and 20% for an 11-win season. All regular season, Big Ten championship and bowl games count toward the win total. 

Additionally, assistants will receive a bonus of 20% of their base salary if Indiana appears in the Big Ten championship game; 25% if Indiana wins the Big Ten championship game; 30% for a College Football Playoff appearance; 35% for a CFP second-round appearance; 40% for a CFP third-round appearance; 45% for a national championship game appearance; and 50% if Indiana wins the national championship. Those bonuses are noncumulative, and the highest finish applies.

When Indiana gave Cignetti a new contract during the 2024 season, it included an $11,000,000 on-field staff salary and support pool. The previous combined figure for the salary, signing bonuses, retention bonuses outside marketing and promotional income of Cignetti’s 11 assistant coaches was $6,395,000.

That increase is seen, in part, through Whitmer’s contract, which pays him $210,000 more than Sunseri made during the 2024 season. The 10 retained assistants also received raises, and details on their new contracts can be seen here. Only defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and offensive line coach Bob Bostad will make more than Whitmer in 2025.

As the Falcons' pass-game specialist in 2024, Whitmer worked closely with former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. His previous stint came as an offensive quality control coach with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021-23, working primarily with the quarterbacks.

During Whitmer's time with the Chargers, quarterback Justin Herbert set NFL records for the most completions (1,316), passing yards (14,089) and total touchdowns (102) in the first three seasons of any player's career.

“Chandler came very highly recommended and has been involved with the development of a number of top-flight quarterbacks,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said in a news release. “We’re excited he’s joining the organization, and he will do a terrific job developing our quarterbacks.”

Prior to joining the NFL, Whitmer was an offensive graduate assistant at Clemson in 2020 and at Ohio State in 2019. He reached the College Football Playoff both seasons, helping to develop future first-round NFL Draft pick quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. He began his coaching career as an offensive quality control coach at Yale.

Whitmer played at UConn from 2012-14, following one season with Butler Community College and his freshman season at Illinois. In three seasons with the Huskies, Whitmer played 28 games and completed 56.5% of his passes for 5,082 yards, 25 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

Now with the Hoosiers, Whitmer will be working with a largely new quarterback room. Starter Kurtis Rourke graduated after finishing ninth in Heisman Trophy voting, and backup Tayven Jackson entered the transfer portal.

Indiana added Cal transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who joins his brother, Alberto, and Tyler Cherry, who were true freshmen in 2024. Indiana also recently landed high school class of 2025 quarterback Jacob Bell.

Related stories on Indiana football

• IU RETAINS 10 ASSISTANTS: Here is the contract information for new multi-year deals signed by Indiana assistant coaches Bryant Haines, Mike Shanahan, Bob Bostad, Derek Owings, Pat Kuntz, Grant Cain, Ola Adams, Rod Ojong, Buddha Williams and John Miller. CLICK HERE

• CIGNETTI'S NEW CONTRACT: Football coach Curt Cignetti is set to make $8,300,000, plus potential bonuses, in the first year of his new contract with Indiana. Here are the full details of the new eight-year deal. CLICK HERE

• MENDOZA TO IU: Following a sophomore season with 3,004 passing yards at California, quarterback Fernando Mendoza is transferring to Indiana and teaming up with his brother, Alberto. CLICK HERE

• IU LANDS BELL: Former Ball State commit Jacob Bell flipped to Indiana and became the Hoosiers' first quarterback commit in the high school class of 2025. CLICK HERE