LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nate Scheelhaase went from a largely unknown Los Angeles Rams assistant to interviewing for multiple NFL head coaching vacancies to becoming Sean McVay’s offensive coordinator in only a few months.Even with that sudden upward trajectory, and the prospect of more to come, Scheelhaase is taking everything in stride.“If you come to work, do your job every day with excellence, man, there’s good things out there for you,” Scheelhaase said.Scheelhaase, 35, was already on the coaching fast track before his whirlwind start to 2026. He was a four-year starting quarterback at Illinois and became a football department staffer at his alma mater before moving into an on-field role. In 2018, Scheelhaase headed to Iowa State as an assistant under Matt Campbell, becoming offensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 season.Scheelhaase joined the Rams in 2024 and spent the past two seasons working on the passing game, helping out McVay and then-offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who became head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in February.
All four of McVay’s previous offensive coordinators are now NFL head coaches, with LaFleur, his brother Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, and Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota all going from the Rams to their current positions. Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen spent one season calling plays for Tampa Bay before he was hired by the Jaguars following his coordinator stint in Los Angeles.
