LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams are promoting assistant Nate Scheelhaase to offensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Rams haven’t made a full announcement of coach Sean McVay’s new staff for the upcoming season. Scheelhaase replaces Mike LaFleur, who became the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach this month.
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The 35-year-old Scheelhaase became a rising star in NFL coaching circles last season. He interviewed for at least five head coaching vacancies in the past two months. He spent the previous two years as a top offensive assistant to McVay and LaFleur, receiving the title of pass game coordinator last season while the Rams went 14-6 and reached the NFC title game.
Although McVay calls Los Angeles’ plays and leads the design of their offense, Scheelhaase will be the Rams’ fifth offensive coordinator during McVay’s 10 seasons in charge. All four assistants who previously held that title have gone on to become head coaches, as did Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor.
All five of those former top Rams assistants — Matt LaFleur, Taylor, Kevin O’Connell, Liam Coen and Mike LaFleur — still hold those head coaching jobs. The number might have been even higher, but McVay spent two seasons without a designated offensive coordinator after Matt LaFleur’s departure.
The 35-year-old Scheelhaase is a former Illinois quarterback who was on Matt Campbell’s staff at Iowa State from 2018 to 2023, eventually becoming the Cyclones’ offensive coordinator in his final season and leading a dramatic improvement that caught McVay’s attention.
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Among his responsibilities in Los Angeles, Scheelhaase was tasked with literally drawing the offensive plays taught to the Rams for each week’s game plan — a detail-oriented job previously held by several Rams assistants who went on to bigger things.
The Rams’ offense was the NFL’s best by many metrics last year, leading the league in scoring and total yards during the regular season with AP NFL MVP Matthew Stafford at the controls. Stafford has announced he is returning for an 18th NFL season. The Rams will be among the preseason favorites to contend for a Super Bowl berth in their home SoFi Stadium in February 2027.
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