Turf Show Times
From it’s middle America beginnings to current tenure under the bright lights of Hollywood, Nate Scheelhaase’s career path rise has been meteoric. This February past, he was named as Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator (OC), the fifth such in Sean McVay’s 10-year reign as L.A. head coach. It’s a title that has proven to be a direct pipe line to NFL head coaching positions.
All four of McVay’s previous OC’s, as well as former quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, have parlayed the Rams job into head coach roles. Even in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NFL coaching landscape, all are still on the job. Taylor went to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. After a one-year OC stop in Tennessee, Matt La Fleur took over the Green Bay Packers. Just days after the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, Kevin O’Connell was named to lead the Vikings. In two stints with the Rams, Liam Coen coached receivers and quarterbacks before becoming OC and hooking up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. And just a few month’s ago, Matt LaFleur was installed with the Arizona Cardinals.
Scheelhaase has quickly climbed up the coaching ranks. even with only two years of NFL coaching experience, he’s already been courted by multiple NFL teams. He reportedly interviewed for five head coaching jobs this offseason and was a finalist with the Cleveland Browns. In addition, at the 2026 NFL owners meetings held May 18-20, Scheelhaase was one of 16 coaches included in the May accelerator program,
As reported by ESPN, this program was formed by the league in 2022 to raise diversity in leadership and was re-worked in 2026 to include non-minority candidates.
The program shifted focus from high-potential candidates to senior-level executives and coaches more aligned with head coach and general manager readiness. The May accelerator is intended to focus on advancing talent from underrepresented groups,” the NFL wrote in a March memo addressed to all 32 teams, “while remaining open to qualified senior-level candidates of all backgrounds.”
Although Scheelhaase doesn’t have a long resume in the pro’s, he’s been directing offenses for nearly 20 years. It all began at Rockhurst High School, a private Jesuit and all-boys institution where he won 10 varsity letters in football, basketball, and track. He was a Gatorade Player of the Year in Missouri and also the Thomas A. Simone Award as the most outstanding football player in the Kansas City Metro area.
A pass/run threat, Scheelhasse was recruited by many top-tier schools and chose Illinois. After a 2019 redshirt, he took over starting QB duties in 2020. The Illinois years were up and down, he worked under three different head coaches, as well as four offensive coordinators. Even though the Illini record was only 20-30 in his tenure, He accumulated 10,674 yards of total offense, still an Illinois record.
After his playing days were over, Illinois offered him an entry into the coaching profession, but Scheelhaase was contemplating a youth ministry career and passed on it....
