J.T. Whitaker, the offensive coordinator for Brownsburg's Class 6A state championship team, was officially approved as the new Warren Central coach at Wednesday night's board meeting.
Whitaker, the offensive coordinator at Brownsburg since 2018, will take over a program that finished 10-2 last season for coach Mike Kirschner, who stepped down after the season but retained his athletic director post. The Warriors are one of the most tradition-rich programs in the state with nine state championships overall, most recently in 2018 in Class 6A.
Brownsburg has produced several outstanding offenses under Whitaker's guidance, including this season. The Bulldogs averaged 386 yards of total offensive per game with three players going over 600 yards rushing and sophomores leading the team in passing (Oscar Frye had 2,445 passing yards and 23 touchdowns) and receiving (Branden Sharpe pulled down 66 receptions for 1,165 yards and seven TDs).
Whitaker coached with John Hart going back to Hart's tenure at Warren Central. Whitaker also coached under Jayson West at Lawrence Central and Kirschner at Ben Davis.
"J.T. has been an instrumental part of us building a state championship culture at Brownsburg," Hart said. "He is an elite play caller, but his best attribute is his relationship with the players. Kids love him and the Brownsburg family loves him."