Nate Scheelhaase’s third season in the NFL coaching ranks will be as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator.
A rising star in league circles, the 35-year-old Scheelhaase is being promoted from L.A.'s pass game coordinator to its new OC, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday.
Scheelhaase succeeds Mike LaFleur, who was hired as the Arizona Cardinals head coach after three years as L.A.'s offensive coordinator under head coach Sean McVay. LaFleur and Scheelhaase aided in the Rams' run to the NFC Championship Game, and the latter will be looked upon to maintain an offense that was No. 1 overall in the NFL.
Should Scheelhaase find success in the role, just how long he sticks around could come into question. He garnered interviews for the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders HC vacancies this hiring cycle.
Scheelhaase was hugely impressive in interviews, NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah reported, per a source, on the "40s and Free Agents" podcast. Jeremiah added that Scheelhaase's lack of experience was really the only negative.
It wasn't difficult to predict Scheelhaase would be the next offensive mind up for OC. Being an assistant for McVay has a rich history of success, with the Cardinals' LaFleur, the Cincinnati Bengals' Zac Taylor, the Green Bay Packers' Matt LaFleur, former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, former Atlanta Falcons HC Raheem Morris, the Minnesota Vikings' Kevin O'Connell and the Jacksonville Jaguars' Liam Coen earning top jobs elsewhere.
Prior to joining McVay and the Rams in 2024 as a passing game specialist, Scheelhaase earned coaching experience at his alma mater Illinois, then Iowa State, where he was the offensive coordinator in 2023. For the Fighting Illini, Scheelhaase was the starting quarterback from 2010-13.
Now, he's taking the next step forward in a quickly moving coaching career.