For the third time in the 2025 season, and the fourth time in his career, Shea Ruddy has been recognized as one of the top players at his position in NCAA Division II.

On Friday morning, the junior wide receiver for the Hillsdale College football team was recognized as an honorable mention All-American by the Don Hansen Football Committee. It's the second straight season Ruddy has earned honorable mention All-American honors from the Don Hansen Football Committee, and his third All-American honor of 2025, joining recognition from the D2CCA as a first team All-American and from the Associated Press as a second team All-American in December.

The Don Hansen Football Committee awards All-American teams for NCAA DII football on an annual basis in honor of small college football advocate Don Hansen, who published Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades and first selected a NCAA DII All-American team in 1988. Hansen, a Brookfield, Illinois native, passed away in 2010, and the committee has carried on his work ever since.
 
Ruddy was one of the top kickoff returners in the country in 2024 as a sophomore, and picked up where he left off this season with an even better campaign in 2025. The junior led not just the Great Midwest Athletic Conference or NCAA DII, but all of college football with 960 kickoff return yards in 2025, and tied for the national all-division lead with three kickoff return touchdowns of 97, 90 and 86 yards. His 33.1 yards per return average fell just shy of the school and G-MAC record of 33.3 he set in 2024. 

The junior's season achievements also helped him set a couple of Hillsdale career records. With 1,692 career return yards and five career return touchdowns, Ruddy officially surpassed Hillsdale College career records set by Chad Gurica in 2005. 

While Ruddy was an elite kickoff return man, the skilled and athletic player made an impact in a variety of ways in 2025 as the Chargers' Swiss Army knife on offense. Ruddy led the Chargers in receptions (43), receiving yards (695) and touchdowns (seven) for the second straight season. The junior also rushed for a score and threw a passing touchdown as well for the Chargers, becoming the only player in NCAA DII and joining a very short list of collegiate stars in recording a passing, rushing, receiving and kickoff return touchdown in the same season.

Ruddy was well recognized this fall for his accomplishments, earning three G-MAC Player of the Week honors, repeat first team All-G-MAC and G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors, and first team All-Super Region 1 honors from the D2CCA. He also has been recognized with CSC Academic All-District honors and will look to repeat as an Academic All-American when that honor is announced in late January.

In earning All-American honors, Ruddy extends Hillsdale's streak of seasons with at least one All-American to seven, dating back to 2018. With three honors from the five governing bodies that award All-American status at the DII level, Ruddy also becomes Hillsdale's first consensus All-American since Michael Herzog in 2023.