Curt Cignetti has quickly established himself as a transformative figure at Indiana. Since his hire ahead of the 2024 season, he has not only led the Hoosiers to the national championship win but also developed a culture of sustained excellence, as evidenced by a 27-2 record over his first two seasons.
Cignetti has achieved that success largely with overlooked talent, backed by a top-tier coaching staff.
Curt Cignetti Makes Immediate Coaching Move For Indiana’s QB Room
Indiana is reportedly set to rehire Tino Sunseri as the program’s quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator. He was previously a member of the staff Cignetti brought with him from James Madison University.
Sunseri was officially named Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on December 13, 2023. He played a key role in Kurtis Rourke’s breakout 2024 season, during which the quarterback threw for 3,042 yards with 29 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions.
Sunseri departed Indiana last year to accept the offensive coordinator position at UCLA. He had helped transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava find his footing with the Bruins, but the coach struggled in his brief stint with the team, parting ways just four games into the season.
Sunseri now returns to a program riding high, as Indiana is coming off a historic 16-0 season in 2025, capped by the win over Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
A former University of Pittsburgh quarterback, Sunseri transitioned into coaching after his playing career in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won a Grey Cup in 2013 and later guided the Saskatchewan Roughriders to the 2014 playoffs as the team’s starting quarterback.
Sunseri has built a strong reputation as a quarterback developer and an elite recruiter in just three seasons at the collegiate level. In his new role at Cignetti’s squad, he will work closely with talented transfer quarterback Josh Hoover, who arrived from TCU.
With Fernando Mendoza declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, Hoover is expected to take over as Indiana’s starting quarterback next season. Hoover will enter the 2026 season as the leading returning passer with 9,629 yards and is second in touchdown passes with 71. He ranks No. 21 nationally in PFSN’s College Football QBi Metric with an impact score of 86.0.
Meanwhile, Sunseri will replace Chandler Whitmer, who has departed to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the quarterbacks coach. Whitmer will now work directly with the Buccaneers’ quarterbacks, including Baker Mayfield.
Whitmer served as Mendoza’s quarterbacks coach during his Heisman Trophy-winning season, which was Whitmer’s lone year at Indiana. Before that, he spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and one with the Atlanta Falcons. He also held graduate assistant roles at Clemson and Ohio State.
