Are The Bucs Trying To Pluck A Coach From The National Champs?
January 30th, 2026
Indiana co-OC Chandler Whitmer.
Please don’t jump to conclusions. The Bucs are not in talks with Curt Cignetti.
However, an Indiana coach is very much on their radar. Fetching Colleen Wolfe of NFL Network reports, by way of Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, that the Bucs are interviewing Hoosiers co-offensive coordinator Chandler Whitmer to be the next Bucs’ quarterback coach.
Color Joe intrigued. Very, very intrigued.
All throughout the season and into the playoffs and as the Hoosiers were winning an unthinkable championship, all Joe heard from those in the know was sighs of ecstasy about how well Indiana was coached up.
Whitmer seems to have worked for a bunch of quality quarterbacks and quality coaches. At Indiana he was mostly the Hoosiers’ quarterback coach and in his lone year on the job in Bloomington, he oversaw Fernando Mendoza’s transformation into a Heisman Trophy winner and a likely No. 1 overall pick.
In prior gigs, Whitmer worked with Justin Herbert and Michael Penix in the NFL, and C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence and Mendoza in college. Whitmer worked with include Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson at Atlanta, New Orleans coach Kellen Moore when he was the offensive coordinator with the Chargers, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Indiana’s Cignetti in college, among others.
Joe would hope rubbing elbows with all those guys, Whitmer may have learned a thing or two.
Again, everyone who calls himself a college football analyst raves about how well-coached Indiana is. So just reading Whitmer’s resume and remembering how people went nuts over Indiana’s attention to fundamentals, including Mendoza, Joe can’t help but think this Whitmer might be a rising coaching star.
Joe still can’t believe Indiana, of all people, won a national championship. In football! The Hoosiers?! We live in very strange times.
January 30th, 2026 at 12:11 am
I wouldnt have let him leave the building I think he would be amazing for Baker an he is young an I like younger coaches have more energy an fire IMO
January 30th, 2026 at 12:57 am
It’s a wait and see with the Bucs new offensive staff but it’s seems like they’re putting together a decent offensive staff including Whitmer which I think will happen by tomorrow if he wants to to leave college. All of the new offensive coaches are under 40 except the senior offensive coach that Robinson is bringing in. The hardest part of putting together a good staff in the NFL especially if they’re successful is, every year other teams will come to pluck from the tree. IF the Bucs new staff is able to be successful and stay together for the next 2 years, maybe a good situation to replace Bowles when he retires. Bowles is around 62 or 63 so 2 more years and he at basic retirement age or maybe he move into the office
January 30th, 2026 at 1:13 am
Thiswould be an intersting hire. I kind of thought that he would follow Mendoza to the Raiders or wherever the assumed #1 pick of the ’26 draft ends up but if the Bucs can land him, that will be one more sharp young mind to add to the fold. Good hire if the Bucs can get him!
January 30th, 2026 at 1:21 am
Again, this is JL & TB prove it year. Every hire and every detail need to be scrutinized. The NFL is a production league. This sounds positive, but, until it’s finalized it’s just talk.
January 30th, 2026 at 3:10 am
Zach Rob is putting together a staff for 2027 Buccaneers debut😉🤭👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤙🏾
January 30th, 2026 at 3:11 am
Head coach 2027🤙🏾🤙🏾Buccaneers
January 30th, 2026 at 3:13 am
All this offensive press is a distraction from the bull… ish D. Including the LVD article 🤙🏾👊🏾
January 30th, 2026 at 3:33 am
Whitmer served as an offensive quality control coach for the Chargers from 2021 to 2023 when Kellen Moore was the OC there.
January 30th, 2026 at 5:16 am
Very possible he could see himself as the Bucs OC next season if Robinson takes over in ’27.
January 30th, 2026 at 6:39 am
Now if we could only find a good DC.
January 30th, 2026 at 8:14 am
Why all the hype about the offense? If all the injuries didn’t occur we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Being a stubborn Head Coach and not asking for help with the poorly coached defense, we are looking at another 8-7 season.
January 30th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Indiana is probably the best coached college team so plucking anyone off their staff is most likely a win.
January 30th, 2026 at 8:47 am
That team played like the best coached team in all of football last years, pro’s included.
January 30th, 2026 at 8:57 am
I agree with Popmike66
Now we need to grab a promising QB prospect in this draft or 2027.
I think the Glazers will honor Todd’s contract before there is change at HC.
Licht is not going anywhere now or then.
For now we will try to win with our offense. The defense well….
2026 and 2027 is RINSE AND REPEAT
January 30th, 2026 at 9:40 am
Remarkable, but I knew who they were talking about from the start, and I never saw the guy because
January 30th, 2026 at 9:53 am
Crazyhorse54 Says:
“Again, this is JL & TB prove it year. Every hire and every detail need to be scrutinized. ”
It’s not a JL prove it year. He’s here to stay.
But as to the rest, every hire is always scrutinized by fans for every team. Scrutinizing is what fans do best. In fact, it’s pretty much all they do.
Fans should celebrate the good, but all they do is look for the bad…and I’m as guilty as anyone else.
I’m not sure I can manage it, but maybe I need to practice what I preach.
January 30th, 2026 at 10:27 am
Licht has the 7th longest tenure of any GM in the NFL.
He isn’t going anywhere.
January 30th, 2026 at 10:45 am
Click bait title- first line “hey everyone dont be baited”
January 30th, 2026 at 10:57 am
baker doesnt want hard coaching…
he wants coaches who will coddle him not challenge him…
Bucs have to get the coaches who know how to coddle/handle baker…
lol…seems like they’re setting this guy up to be a scapegoat lol…
ask Grizz lol
GO BUCS!!!!
January 30th, 2026 at 11:06 am
This is for whatever young talent we bring in at QB.
Bucs team site has a 5-players to watch article from the senior bowl.
Sawyer Robertson is on the list.
It’s early, but I’d bet somehow, someway, we’ll have a young(old-ish) rookie in here transitioning to the NFL
Whitmers’ been around a lot of QBs
January 30th, 2026 at 1:21 pm
No doubt. Indiana is the best coached team I’ve seen in college ball in a long time.
January 30th, 2026 at 3:40 pm
What a idiot 813 is he comes on here daily to show just how stupid he is.
January 30th, 2026 at 5:47 pm
I like it. Anybody from that Indiana coaching staff is good for me. Most amazing season and biggest turnaround in NCAA history.
January 31st, 2026 at 3:09 am
Come on Glazers, open up the checkbook and pay this up and coming bright mind. I’ll help him pack for the move to Tampa.