One of the most dangerous return men in NCAA Division II football showed why he's earned that distinction on Saturday at Tiffin.

Junior and Hillsdale College football player Shea Ruddy had a lightning strike on a kick return for the Chargers against the Dragons, and his performance earned Ruddy G-MAC Football Special Teams Player of the Week, announced on Monday afternoon. The award is Ruddy's first of the season but the second of his career for a 2024 All-American returner who was named the G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Year last season.

Ruddy made the most of his two return opportunities against the Dragons, taking one of them to the house 86 yards for a score that gave Hillsdale a 14-7 lead in a game the Chargers would eventually lose 28-21. He got an assist from teammate Jonathan Metzger, who lateraled the ball to Ruddy from the opposite side of the field after initially fielding the kickoff. That play is emblematic of how creative Hillsdale has had to get in order to get the ball in the dynamic Ruddy's hands in return situations, as many opponents will do anything in their power to keep the ball away from him.

That's due in part to a 2024 season where Ruddy returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, had two more touchdowns called back on penalties, and set a new G-MAC single season record by averaging 33.3 yards per kickoff return. Ruddy's 2024 numbers of 732 kickoff return yards and 1,779 all-purpose yards both led the G-MAC and ranked in the top five in the nation. So far in 2025, despite teams going out of their way to try and reduce his impact on the game, Ruddy's numbers aren't far off -- 321 kickoff return yards through five games, and an average of 32.1 yards per return.

Ruddy and the Chargers have another tough test this weekend, as Hillsdale travels to #19/21 Findlay for the undefeated Oilers' homecoming contest at 2 p.m. on Saturday.