HILLSDALE COLLEGE (MI) — WR/KR
3.72 GPA — Biochemistry
Head Coach: Nate Shreffler | Athletics Director: John Tharp
Faculty Athletics Representative: Sam Webster
An All-America receiver and record-setting kick returner who has excelled in the classroom while preparing for a career in medicine, Shea Ruddy has become a dynamic playmaker as one of the most versatile players in college football. The Temperance, Michigan, native becomes Hillsdale's first NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
Ruddy carries a 3.72 GPA in biochemistry and is on track to graduate in May 2027 before pursuing a career in medicine. A two-time CSC Academic All-American, he earned First Team honors in 2025 after receiving Second Team recognition in 2024. He is also a two-time Academic All-District selection, a two-time D2ADA Academic Achievement Award recipient and a three-time Academic All-G-MAC honoree.
A three-year letterman and 2026 team captain, Ruddy earned First Team D2CCA and Second Team AP All-America honors in 2025. In 2024, he became Hillsdale's first player since 1972 to earn All-America and Academic All-America recognition in the same season, repeating the feat in 2025.
A two-time G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Year and First Team All-G-MAC selection, Ruddy led all NCAA divisions with 960 kickoff return yards in 2025 and tied for the national lead with three kickoff return touchdowns. He also led Hillsdale with 43 receptions for 695 yards and seven touchdowns. He holds Hillsdale career records with 2,063 kickoff return yards and seven touchdowns, while adding 2,278 receiving yards and 24 receiving touchdowns. He ranks in the top 10 in career receiving and receiving touchdowns at Hillsdale. In 2025, he was the only player across all NCAA divisions to score touchdowns by passing, rushing, receiving and on a kickoff return.
Ruddy helped Hillsdale post three consecutive winning seasons and earn a berth in the 2025 Albanese Candy Bowl. Through the first seven games of 2026, he had 36 receptions for 524 yards and four touchdowns, 126 rushing yards and two scores, and two kickoff return touchdowns. In 2026, Ruddy leads all NCAA divisions in kickoff return average (41.2 yards), while ranking tied for first in Division II with two kickoff return touchdowns and seventh nationally in all-purpose yards per game (158.7). His 524 receiving yards currently lead the G-MAC, and his eight total touchdowns tie him for the most in the conference.
Off the field, Ruddy has volunteered in the emergency room and surgery department at Hillsdale Hospital and served as co-chair of the college's bone marrow registration drive. A member of the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, he has worked with individuals with special needs through Victory Day, read to elementary school students through Book Buddies and participated in Wreaths Across America. He has also volunteered at Hillsdale football's Military Appreciation Dinner.
(All stats through Oct. 17, 2026.)
