Curt Cignetti's Indiana bolsters QB room development with new coaching hire

Coach Curt Cignetti and the No. 8-ranked Indiana Hoosiers have had a stellar season, qualifying for the College Football Playoff. They will play the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round on Friday. In the meantime, the Hoosiers have been hard at work, trying to bolster their team for next season.

While the transfer portal is open for players, Indiana is focused on improving its coaching staff. On Friday, insider Pete Thamel reported that the Hoosiers are expected to hire Atlanta Falcons pass game specialist Chandler Whitmer as their new quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.

Thamel wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Sources: Indiana is expected to hire Atlanta Falcons Pass Game Specialist Chandler Whitmer as QB Coach & Co- Offensive Coordinator. Current QB coach Tino Sunseri will continue with IU through the playoffs."

Whitmer had previously worked as an offensive quality control coach for the LA Chargers, where he worked with the QBs. Additionally, he has been a graduate assistant on offense at Ohio State and Clemson. Before his coaching career, he was a college quarterback at UConn and Illinois.

Indiana looks to build on its stellar 2024 season

Most experts did not expect the Hoosiers to have the season they have had. They were expected to be a solid team, but not one that would be in the mix for the Big Ten championship or College Football Playoff. Although the Hoosiers fell short of making the Big Ten championship game, they qualified for the playoff.

Although the CFP still needs to play out, regardless of the results, this season has been a tremendous success for the Hoosiers. However, management at the school understands that college football is fickle, and as a result, it is always important to improve. So, the team has taken steps to upgrade its coaching staff for next season.

Heading into its matchup with the Fighting Irish, Indiana is the underdog. Notre Dame (11-1) has not lost since falling 16-14 to Northern Illinois in Week 2. Conversely, the Hoosiers (11-1) had their undefeated streak broken in the second-to-last week of the season when they lost 38-15 to No. 6 Ohio State.

According to BetMGM, Indiana is a +230 underdog, and Notre Dame is a -280 favorite. The spread is set at seven points, so it is expected to be a relatively close game. The matchup kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.