What could Lafayette’s Billy Shaeffer actually do if given a full season of play?
He earned second team All-Patriot League linebacker honors in 2019, even though he was just a sophomore. But then ...
Shaeffer’s junior fall came in 2020. No need to rehash that one, although all NCAA athletes earned an extra year of eligibility.
In 2021, Shaeffer led Lafayette in interceptions, forced fumbles and was third in tackles ... despite missing four games to injury.
Warrington’s Shaeffer missed seven games in 2022, yet still had eight tackles, a fumble recovery and a 50-yard pick six in The Rivalry, a 14-11 win over Lehigh. Shaeffer was named the game’s MVP, the first time a defender won the award in a dozen years.
During the down times Shaeffer was sustained “by my teammates who pushed me and had faith in me that I could go out there, do it and make plays,” he shared. “Having great teammates who believed in me and trusted in me gave me confidence.”
This season Shaeffer, a 6-3, 232-pound Archbishop Wood grad, showed what he could do. And what he could do was devastate offenses. He was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top Defensive Player in FCS, in late November.
“When we were in our base defense, I was an outside backer,” he explained. “I sometimes blitzed but mostly had coverage responsibility. When we went to our nickel package and we brought in a corner back, I’d move over to defensive end. I was more likely to rush the passer in that position but I could also drop into coverage. I got a bigger opportunity this year to rush the passer.”
Shaeffer finished the regular season as the Patriot League leader in tackles for loss (20.5) and sacks (10). He ranked in the top four in all of FCS in both of those categories. An obvious first team all-conference pick, Shaeffer helped the Leopards post the stingiest scoring defense in the Patriot League.
“Scheme was definitely a big part of (success) as was preparation: knowing where teams were going to attack us and having a good idea of what to expect and what is coming based on certain formations and indicators,” he said.
Lafayette (9-3) earned its first league crown since 2013 and recorded its first nine-win season since 1981. The Leopards season ended a field goal away from their first-ever playoff win, in a 36-34 loss at Delaware in the FCS opening round. Shaeffer had seven tackles, including one for loss.
“We played complementary football. Some games the offense was helping the defense out when the defense was struggling and some games the defense helped the offense out when the offense was struggling,” Shaeffer noted. “Special teams were more consistent than they had been in previous years.
“The offense was extremely impressive this year at being able to run the ball. They had multiple games of over 200 yards rushing,” he continued. Controlling the line of scrimmage and time of possession with long drives helped to rest and energize the Lafayette defense.
Individually Shaeffer, a fifth-year senior, collected consecutive Patriot Defensive Player of the Week Awards in October. Over two games against Princeton and Bucknell, Shaeffer racked up 19 tackles – 8.5 for loss – and forced two fumbles.
Shaeffer is listed as a linebacker but “I played D end in high school so I am very comfortable with that position,” he shared. While at Archbishop Wood, he was a two-time state champion who played in the Big 33 game.
Lafayette “was a pretty easy transition and choice. The school has great academic standards and that was something high on my list of priorities,” Shaeffer shared. “Another part was the location. It is only an hour up 611 so my family can come see my games and I could get home easily if I needed to.”
Shaeffer’s family alone may constitute a sellout. He is the oldest of nine siblings – eight of whom are boys.
“The third thing that helped make the choice easy were the people here,” he continued. “They were so welcoming. It is a tight-knit community and everyone is so supportive of each other. They have a great culture.”
Shaeffer hopes to postpone putting his international affairs major to work for a bit in the hopes that a pro football opportunity opens up. Plenty of NFL regulars came from FCS schools.
“As of right now, my plan is to give it a shot and train for Pro Day. We’ll see what happens from there,” Shaeffer explained. “I’m just going to be working hard. Hopefully something falls into my lap and I can take advantage of it.”
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