New Nebraska offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Mark Whipple made an appearance on the Husker Radio Network last night to answer various questions about the new scheme, preparations for the opener in Dublin, and the progress of the quarterback room. It was back in December when Scott Frost relinquished play-calling responsibility to hire Whipple, who had spent the last three years as the coordinator for the Pitt Panthers. Last season, he helped Pitt win the 2021 ACC title and led the team to a top ten ranking nationally in scoring offense, passing offense, and total offense. As the quarterback coach, he led Kenny Pickett to the 2021 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and a first-team All-American selection.
Whipple has 40+ years of head and assistant coaching experience in both the college and professional ranks. The New York native has been a head coach at three different schools (New Haven 1988-93, Brown 1994-97, UMass 1998-2003, 2014-2018), amassing a 137-103 record and winning the 1993 Division 1-AA Championship (now the FCS division). Nebraska is the fifth offensive coordinator stop for Whipple as he has previously called plays at Union (1981-82), New Hampshire (1986-87), Miami (2009-2010), and Pittsburgh (2019-2021). He also won a Super Bowl as a quarterback coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Whipple is a pass-first play-caller known for building around his quarterback and adjusting his offense to best utilize the talent on the field instead of forcing players to fit into a specific scheme. He was one of two finalists for the position in Lincoln when Frost announced he would no longer call plays. Whipple beat out former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell who had just been released at USC. After missing out on the Husker job, Harrell ended up in West Virginia as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the Mountaineers.
During last night’s radio appearance, Whipple discussed the quarterback room headed into this season and gave a detailed analysis of each scholarship signal-caller. Scroll below to see his comments.