While the on-field product on offense for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should look very much unchanged from 2025 in 2026, behind the scenes things are going to be about as different as they can be.
With new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson comes a sea of change — one that now includes a new quarterbacks coach in Chandler Whitmer, who comes to Tampa Bay after spending 1 season as the co-offensive coordinator at the University of Indiana.
What Whitmer did in his 1 season with the Hoosiers is what landed him with the Buccaneers, becoming the first team in modern college football history to go 16-0 on the way to winning the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Whitmer also helped turn quarterback Fernando Mendoza into a Heisman Trophy winner and the expected No. 1 overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL draft.
“The Bucs agreed to terms with Chandler Whitmer as their quarterbacks coach, sources tell The Insiders,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on Tuesday. “Whitmer, 34, spent last season Indiana’s co-OC/QB coach, developing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza on the way to a national title. He had multiple NFL offers but chose Tampa.”
Whitmer, 34 years old, was the offensive pass game specialist for the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, when Robinson was offensive coordinator.
“Sources: Indiana quarterback coach Chandler Whitmer has accepted a job with the Tampa Bay Bucs,” Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel wrote. “Whitmer was Fernando Mendoza’s quarterback coach during this Heisman Trophy season, Whitmer’s lone year at IU.”
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