Nate Scheelhaase - Football Coach - Iowa State University Athletics

Nate Scheelhaase

Title:
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Email:
scheelh1@iastate.edu
Phone:
515-294-7998

Nate Scheelhaase spent six seasons on the Iowa State football staff, including one as offensive coordinator for the Cyclones after being elevated to the position in December of 2022. He worked with the quarterbacks in 2023 after previously serving as running game coordinator and worked with the running backs and wide receivers.

In 2019, Scheelhaase was listed in 247Sports' "30Under30" as one of the top rising stars in the profession. In 2022, he was a finalist for FootballScoop.com Wide Receiver Coach of the Year.

The Cyclones have appeared in five bowl games, made regular appearances in the national rankings and recorded 42 victories in Scheelhaase’s six seasons in Ames.

In his first season as offensive coordinator, Iowa State improved offensively from 20.2 points in 2022 to 26.2 in 2023. The Cyclones greatly increased their big-play ability, scoring a nation's-best 11 offensive touchdowns of 50-plus yards.

Redshirt freshman Rocco Becht was named Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Second-Team Freshman All-American after passing for more than 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns while breaking nearly every ISU freshman passing record. Becht's 23 touchdown passes were the most for an ISU QB since Brock Purdy tossed 27 in 2019.

Also receiving Big 12 honors were wide receiver Jaylin Noel and tight end Stevo Klotz, who was recognized as a fullback. Noel pulled in 66 receptions for 820 yards and seven touchdowns, the most by an ISU player since 2020. Another wide receiver, Jayden Higgins, finished the season with 53 catches for 983 yards and six touchdowns.

Iowa State was 31-for-33 (93.9) in the red zone, leading the Big 12 Conference and ranking seventh nationally.

The Cyclones finished the 2023 season with seven wins, including a 6-3 mark in Big 12 Conference play, to earn a trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

The 2020 season was historic in many ways. Iowa State finished the regular season in first place in the Big 12 standings, made the Big 12 Championship game and qualified for a New Year’s Six bowl for the first time in school history.

The Cyclones capped off the season with a 34-17 win over Oregon in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

ISU’s eight conferences wins and nine overall wins eclipsed or tied school records, and the Cyclones earned their highest ranking in school history during the season (#6) and postseason (#9).

With Scheelhaase on staff, the Cyclone offense has thrived. Since 2019, ISU has produced three of the most prolific offenses in the history of Cyclone football. Iowa State broke the school record for total offense (444.3) and had the third-best scoring offense (32.2) in school history in 2019 and followed it up with the second-best scoring offense (32.9) and third-best total offense (436.3) totals in Cyclone history in 2020.

In 2021, the Cyclones recorded the fourth-best scoring average (31.3) and the fifth-best total offense (424.5), respectively, in the history of the program. ISU also ranked second nationally in red zone offense, converting on 47-of-49 trips for a 95.9 pct. clip to help the Cyclones earn their school-record fifth-straight bowl appearance.

Scheelhaase has mentored three All-Big 12 receivers in Deshaunte Jones (2019), Xavier Hutchinson (2020, 2021, 2022) and Noel (2023).

Hutchinson, the 2020 Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year, was a three-time All-Big 12 First Team honoree and earned First Team All-America honors in 2022 while shattering multiple records. Hutchinson is the first player in Big 12 history to lead the league in receptions three times, doing so in 2020 (64), 2021 (83) and 2022 (107), breaking ISU’s single-season reception mark and career record (254) in the process.

An All-Big 12 Second Team wideout, Jones ended his career with the second-most catches in school history (184) and the fifth-most receiving yards (2,052).

Two-time consensus All-American Breece Hall led the Big 12 and ranked sixth nationally in rushing yards per game (122.7) and was second nationally in touchdowns (23) in 2021.

The two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year ended his career as ISU’s all-time scoring leader (336) and broke the all-time FBS record for consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (24).

In his initial season coaching the running backs in 2018, Scheelhaase helped David Montgomery earn All-America honors for the second season in row. Montgomery was third in the Big 12 in rushing (101.3), becoming just the eighth player in Iowa State history to record multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons (1,216). He was also second in the league in rushing touchdowns (13).

A two-time All-Big 12 First Team running back, Montgomery was the 73rd overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, while Hall was the 36^th overall pick by the New York Jets in 2022.

Scheelhaase was on staff at Illinois from 2015-17, spending his first season as assistant director of football operations and running backs coach on Bill Cubit’s staff. He was retained by Lovie Smith and worked his last two seasons as an offensive analyst for the Fighting Illini.

A 2012 graduate of Illinois, Scheelhaase finished his career as the Illini’s all-time total offense leader with 10,634 yards, a total that ranks seventh in Big Ten history. In 2013 he had one of the best offensive seasons in Illinois football history, leading the conference in passing yardage (272.7 ypg), total offense (295.2 ypg) and completion percentage (66.7) during his senior campaign, while also breaking the school record for passing efficiency (140.7) to earn All-Big Ten honors.

A four-year starter and two-time team captain, Scheelhaase is the only quarterback in UI history to lead the Illini to bowl victories in back-to-back seasons and is one of just two players in Big Ten history to amass over 8,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his career. He finished among the Illinois career leaders in almost every quarterback category, ranking first in starts (48), second in completion percentage (63.0), completions (775) and rushing yards by a QB (2,066), and third in passing yardage (8,568), touchdown passes (55) and passing efficiency (130.2).

Scheelhaase earned the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2014, was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and earned two degrees from the University of Illinois - a bachelor’s degree in communication (2012) and a master’s in sports management (2013).

Scheelhaase and his wife Morgan have a son, Cru, and daughter, Rocky.

Coaching Experience
2023-present Iowa State - Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2021-22 Iowa State - Running Game Coordinator/Running Backs/Wide Receivers
2019-20 Iowa State – Wide Receivers
2018 Iowa State – Running Backs
2016-17 Illinois – Offensive Analyst
2015 Illinois – Running Backs