Story byStephen CohnMon, January 12, 2026 at 2:45 AM UTC·1 min readThis might be the year that Illinois great Nathan Scheelhaase rises the highest rank in his profession: NFL head coach. ESPN and NFL Network reported Sunday that the Browns and Raiders have requested an interview with Scheelhaase for their head coach openings. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementScheelhaase is currently the Rams’ pass game coordinator. He joined them in 2024 after working as Iowa State’s offensive coordinator in 2023. He got his start in coaching with the Illini on Bill Cubit’s staff in 2015 and stayed on board for the first two years of the Lovie Smith era. Scheelhaase was one of the most prolific offensive weapons in Illinois history as the team’s starting QB and was named All-Big Ten Second Team in 2013. At 35, this would be impressive. Maybe he can come back and take the reins from Bret one day when he hangs it up.
