Nate Scheelhaase is entering his second season with the Los Angeles Rams and serves as the pass game coordinator after spending the 2024 season an offensive assistant and pass game specialist.
In Scheelhaase's first NFL season, he guided a passing attack that ranked 10th in passing yards (3,868) and passing yards per game (227.5), 12th in yards per reception (11.2), and 13th in completions (367). The Rams receiving core totaled just 15 drops all season, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. QB Matthew Stafford surpassed 3,000 passing yards in a season for the 12th time in his career and became the 13th-different quarterback to accomplish the feat in NFL history. With Scheelhaase, Stafford posted the fifth-best completion percentage (65.8) of his career and moved into the top-10 in NFL history in completions (5,174), passing yards (59,809), and touchdown passes (377). From Weeks 8-17, WR Puka Nacua ranked first in yards after the catch (501), tied for first in receiving first downs (46), second in receptions (75) and second in receiving yards (955). Nacua finished the season with 990 yards, the 27th-most in the NFL despite missing five games due to injury.
He joined the Rams after spending six seasons on the Iowa State football staff serving in various roles (2018-23). In 2022, he served as the Cyclone's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Scheelhaase also spent two years coaching the running backs and wide receivers and took on run game coordinator responsibilities (2021-22). Before splitting duties for the program, he coached the receivers for two seasons (2019-20) and the running backs for one season (2018).
During his tenure at Iowa State, the Cyclones appeared in five bowl games and began the season in the AP Top 25 in four of six seasons with the program. The Cyclones also finished with a winning record in five of six seasons and the program produced three of the most productive offenses in school history since 2019.
The Cyclones offense improved from 20.2 points per game in 2022 to 26.2 points per game under his leadership as offensive coordinator. They led college football with 11 offensive touchdowns of 50 or more yards and many players were recognized for their outstanding play including redshirt freshman Quarterback Rocco Becht, who was named Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Second-Team Freshman All-American. Becht completed 231-of-367 passes for 3,120 yards and 23 touchdowns. He broke nearly every ISU freshman passing record and his touchdown mark was the most in a single season for a Cyclone quarterback since Brock Purdy (27) in 2019. Receiver Jaylin Noel also excelled under Scheelhaase's guidance, notching 66 catches for 820 yards and seven touchdowns, the most by an ISU player since 2020. Receiver Jayden Higgins, who finished the season with 53 catches for 983 yards and six touchdowns. The Cyclones finished the 2023 campaign leading the Big 12 in red zone efficiency (93.9%) and ranked seventh nationally. They recorded a 6-3 record in conference play and competed in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
As the receivers coach in 2022, he guided Xavier Hutchinson to a record-breaking season and helped him earn AP First-Team All-American honors. Hutchinson was also named First-Team All-Big 12 for the third consecutive season and was named a Biletnikoff Award finalist. He led the Big 12 and broke his own single-season record with 107 catches, becoming the first Cyclone in school history to record 100 catches in a single season and the first player in Big 12 history to lead the conference in receptions three consecutive seasons. Hutchinson finished his collegiate career with the eighth-most catches in Big 12 history and the third-most receiving yards in ISU program history. He recorded a reception in every game he appeared in, which was the second-longest streak in school history, and tied for the seventh-longest active streak in college football. That season, Scheelhaase was named a finalist for FootballScoop's Wide Receiver Coach of the Year.
During the 2021 season, the Cyclones recorded the fourth-best scoring average (31.3) and fifth-best total offense (424.5 yards per game) in program history. Scheelhaase helped ISU's offense rank second nationally in red zone offense, converting on 47-of-49 trips (95.9%) and guided the Cyclones to their fifth-consecutive bowl game appearance. That season, two-time consensus All-American Running Back Breece Hall led the conference and ranked sixth nationally in rushing yards (122.7 yards per game) and was second nationally in touchdowns (23). Scheelhaase also participated in a Minority Coaching Fellowship with the Kansas City Chiefs and worked specifically with the quarterbacks in 2021.
In 2020, ISU finished the season with the second-best scoring offense (31.9 points per game) and the third-best total offense (436.3 yards per game) in program history. The Cyclones finished first in the Big 12 standings, competed in the Big 12 Championship, and qualified for a New Year's Six Bowl for the first time in program history. Scheelhaase helped the team record the highest rankings in school history during the season (sixth) and in the postseason (ninth).
Scheelhaase was listed in 247Sports' "30Under30" as one of the top rising coaches in 2019. In his first season as the receivers coach, he mentored All-Big 12 Receiver Deshaunte Jones, who finished the season with 76 catches which was the second-highest mark in school history, to go along with 877 yards which was eighth-best in program history.
In 2018 as the running backs coach, he mentored David Montgomery, who earned All-America honors in back-to-back seasons and finished third in the conference in rushing (101.3 yards per game) and became just the eighth player in program history to record multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Montgomery also finished second in the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns (13).
Prior to his time at Iowa State, Scheelhaase was on staff at the University of Illinois (2015-17). He spent his first season as the running backs coach (2015) before becoming an offensive analyst (2016-17).
Scheelhaase played quarterback for the Fighting Illini (2009-13) and finished his career as the program's all-time leader in total offense with 10,634 yards, which ranks seventh in Big Ten history. In 2013 as a senior, he had one of the best offensive seasons in program history leading the conference in passing yards (272.7 yards per game) and completion percentage (66.7). He also broke the school record for passing efficiency (140.7) to earn All-Big Ten honors. He was the only quarterback in Illini history to win back-to-back bowl games and is one of just two players in Big Ten history to total over 8,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his collegiate career.
He earned the prestigous Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2014, was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and earned two degrees, a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in sports management.
Scheelhaase and his wife, Morgan, have a son, Cru, and a daughter, Rocky.
