Ex-ISU offensive coordinator interviewing for NFL head coaching jobs

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There are only 32 head coaching positions in the NFL, and former Iowa State football coach Nate Scheelhaase might be the next to get a shot at leading a franchise.

A member of former ISU head coach Matt Campbell’s staff from 2018 to 2023, Scheelhaase is among the candidates to fill the nine vacant NFL head coaching positions. The 35-year-old is the current pass game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and has been on the Rams’ coaching staff since leaving Iowa State.

The Cleveland Browns announced they interviewed Scheelhaase on Friday, Jan. 16. He’s also set to interview with fellow AFC North teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, as well as the AFC West’s Las Vegas Raiders.

Scheelhaase’s ties to the state of Iowa run deep. Here’s what to know.

Who is Nate Scheelhaase?

Scheelhaase was born in Davenport in November 1990 to LouAnn Scheelhaase and Nate Creer. His father started at defensive back at Iowa from 1982 to 1985 and was the team’s defensive MVP when the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Conference title in 1985.

Scheelhaase grew up in Kansas City and excelled as a multisport athlete at Rockhurst High School, eventually committing to the University of Illinois in 2008.

By the time his playing career ended for Illinois in 2013, Scheelhaase was the school’s all-time total offense leader with 10,634 yards, which still stands. He currently ranks 14th all-time in total yards in Big Ten Conference history.

Illinois went 20–30 from 2010 to 2013 during his four years as a starter, as Scheelhaase amassed 74 total touchdowns. He was the first quarterback in school history to lead Illinois to bowl victories in back-to-back seasons. Interestingly, due to scheduling and conference realignment, Scheelhaase never competed against his father’s alma mater as a player.

“I obviously was excited when I came to Illinois to have a chance to play against Iowa, “Scheelhaase told the Cedar Rapids Gazette in 2012. “My dad played there. I’ve been to Kinnick since I probably couldn’t walk … I really wish I could have gotten that chance.”

Nate Scheelhaase’s coaching history

Scheelhaase would get his chance to face Iowa in 2015 when he returned to Illinois as an assistant director of football operations. He’d go on to coach the running backs and serve as an offensive analyst until 2017.

He joined the Cyclones as the running backs coach in 2018. By the time of his departure after the 2023 season, he had served as Iowa State’s wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. ISU went 42–34 during that span, including 7-6 in his final season calling plays for the offense.

Scheelhaase was hired by the Rams as a pass game specialist in February 2024.

“Everyone I worked with (at Iowa State) went out of their way to grow me as a person — as a leader, and as a coach,” Scheelhaase told the Register in 2025. “I’m super grateful. Iowa State meant a lot to us.'”

He was promoted to pass game coordinator in 2025, assisting quarterback Matthew Stafford to a MVP-like season and the Rams to a 12-5 record going into the playoffs.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ex-Iowa State football coach interviewing for NFL head coach vacancies

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