Iowa State OC and Davenport Native Gets His First NFL Opportunity

A local boy who came from Davenport and vaulted his way up the coaching ranks is getting his first opportunity with an NFL team, per reports, including one from NFL insider Adam Schefter.

The name Nathan Scheelhaase will certainly be a familiar one to Iowa State fans. The 33-year-old served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2023 season. Prior to that, he served as the running backs coach, wide receivers coach, and running game coordinator at various points dating back to 2018. Scheelhaase was hired by Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell.

An Iowa Boy's Big Promotion:

Now, Scheelhaase got himself quite a promotion. On February 19th, 2024, it was reported, first by Schefter, that Scheelhaase had been hired by the Los Angeles Rams as the team's Pass Game Specialist. The former Illinois quarterback will now work under Sean McVay, one of the best and brightest coaches in the entire league.

Beyond being one of the winningest coaches since he was hired by the Rams in 2017 (70-45), McVay has led the Rams to the Super Bowl twice, winning one of them, and just led the Rams to a 9-8 record and a playoff berth this past season.

Could Nathan Scheelhaase Be an NFL Head Coach One Day?:

Sean McVay's fingerprints are all over the NFL. Four of his former assistants/coordinators are now active head coaches in the NFL, along with one in college football. At 30-years-old upon his hiring, McVay was the youngest head coach in the modern era, and his success has led to what is now colloquially referred to as the "Sean McVay effect."

Put those two aspects together and there's reason to believe that Scheelhaase could be on a crash-course to being a head coach in the NFL himself if he succeeds under McVay. Keep in mind, however, Scheelhaase is not the offensive coordinator for the Rams. That title is held by Mike LaFleur.

Scheelhaase is the Passing Game Specialist, which presumably means that he'll be working closely with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and the rest of the offense on devising passing schemes.

He is relatively lower on the totem pole compared to other offensive coaches on the Rams, but there's reason to believe that with the way McVay's offensive team gets poached year-after-year that Scheelhaase could ascend quickly.

Scheelhaase's College Career:

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Scheelhaase played college football at Illinois from 2009 - 2013. During his time, he threw for over 8,500 yards and tossed 55 touchdowns. A mobile signal-caller, he also ran for over 2,000 yards during his career and 19 touchdowns.

As is the case with Iowa/Iowa State players who get drafted by NFL teams every year, it's always fun to keep an eye on former Hawkeye and Cyclone coaches in the league too. Read more about Nathan Scheelhaase's career on Wikipedia, and read about his promotion to the NFL on Football Scoop's website.