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Zone Read: Will Shaffer Unplugged

Arizona Sports News online

Will Shaffer, like many new era college football players, has taken a unique, and unexpected, route to find success on the gridiron.

After playing and graduating from ASU with a degree in Sociology, Shaffer earned All-American honors at linebacker last season at Abilene Christian University.

He’s now preparing for his senior season with the Wildcats with eyes on the NFL.

“Zone Read” caught up with the 2020 Saguaro High two-way star to discuss a number of different topics.

Describe Abilene, Texas to someone who has never been? “Abilene, Texas is a small town, right in the middle of Texas, about two, two-and-a-half hours from Dallas. It’s a town of hard-working people. Just get it done by any means. Got people in the oil fields, got people doing construction – doing all kinds of great things for their community. It definitely feels good being out here.”

Have you eaten at The Beehive yet? “[laughing] Yes! They took me there for my [official] visit. It was really good. The Beehive was really good. I had a New York strip. We had to do it big on the visit [laughing]. It was tasty.”

How would you describe your time at ASU – not just on the field, but off it, as well? “My four years at ASU were nothing short of fantastic. I didn’t regret going there at any point of my career. Later in high school, I started getting more offers late in the process. People tried to get me to flip, but I don’t regret going there at all. I got my degree from there so I’m always and forever an ASU alum. 

“Going through all those coaching changes [three in four years for Shaffer] is never easy. Seeing a lot of people coming in and out of the building. I’m so happy for those guys right now. They don’t know how it was in those Herm [Edwards] days. I’m not saying it was bad, but Arizona State has come a long way over the last three years.”

You don’t hold any ill will at the success they had last season winning the Big 12 and making the CFP? “There is no ill will at all. I wouldn’t say I was happy to leave. That definitely was not an emotion I was feeling, but…the conversation I had with [Kenny] Dillingham when I decided to transfer was really good, really healthy. They supported my decision and it just went that way. 

“Me and [Jason] Mohns [ASU tight ends coach who coached Shaffer at Saguaro]…I did feel bad not letting him know beforehand but I didn’t want it to seem like a conflict of interest running to my high school coach. That was my safe haven now that he was in the building with me, even though we’re not on the same side of the ball if that makes sense. I had to make that decision. Talked to my parents. Talked to a couple family members that felt that if I needed to make that decision to help my career and help myself, then that was the decision that had to be made. So, I think about it often – what would have happened if I stayed, but you can’t live in the ‘shoulda, woulda’, coulda’ – so I just had to go with it 100 percent.”

You leave ASU and sign with Utah State. You’re there for spring workouts and the coaching staff gets let go and you’re back in the portal again. Be transparent with me here. Was there ever a time, ever for a minute, where you thought maybe this football thing just isn’t in the cards? “Yes. Right about that time, April of 2024, I didn’t ever get to play in the spring game. They cut me and took my scholarship. That second time in the portal was very rough. That was the transition from spring to summer session. The best time to get in the portal was right after the season in the winter. That way you got through winter workouts and spring ball, then transition into summer. That way you already have five to six months worth of work with that new staff, new program, and new teammates. 

“So, yeah there was a lot of doubt at that time about just what I wanted to do with my career. I already had my degree so I was on LinkedIn making my profile…if it had to be used, it was ready. I was most likely going to move back to Arizona.”

How was it going from big campus ASU to small campus ACU? “I like the smaller atmosphere here. Not a huge campus but the people in this community, you can tell that they care about the city of Abilene. A lot of people who grew up here, stayed here, and attended Abilene High and all the different high schools. Then, went to ACU and graduated. They’ve seen how this [school] has changed. This community has transformed it and it’s continued to grow. 

“I mean, being from Tempe and the Phoenix area, I like the city life and a lot of people around, but it’s peaceful and quiet out here.”  

One thing Coach Mohns always said about you is you were team-first and always adaptable. You played both ways in high school. Going through that experience, playing high-level football for a power program here in Arizona, how much did that help transitioning between colleges and these bumps in the road you’ve hit the last couple of years on your way down the college football road? “Definitely. I thank Coach Mohns all the time for giving me that ability to play both ways because it just grew my understanding for the game tremendously. Being able to be on offense for one series, and then seeing the way we can attack the defense in different ways with the match ups that we may have. Then, going on defense and seeing what we are trying to take away from the offense. It helped my football I.Q. so much. 

“Playing at a high-level program like we had at Saguaro, it was competition every single day. If you didn’t bring it, you were likely to get embarrassed. We all joked around with each other, we were in the same classes during the day. The brotherhood and camaraderie took over on Friday nights when we’d just go out there and dominate. Everything was just clicking.

“ASU played a big part in me being adaptable, as well because I had three different head coaches [Herm Edwards, Shaun Aguano, Kenny Dillingham], four different linebacker coaches, defensive coordinators. All that change, it just felt like another day at the office.”

Breakthrough season for you at ACU. 1st-Team All-Conference, 2nd-Team FCS All-American and registered the second-most tackles in ACU’s Division I history. What are you planning for an encore this fall? “I’m trying to do the same thing, make it back to the [FCS] playoffs. We definitely want to repeat as conference champs. That’s our number one goal. Protect the title and do everything in my power to have a better season. I’m so locked in right now. All I do is watch football. Whenever I’m bored, I watch football.

“I definitely want to win the Buck Buchanan Award [FCS National Player of the Year]…I want to stamp my legacy on this university and become one of the greatest linebackers to come through Abilene Christian. Legacy is very important to me. How are people going to talk about you when you’re done playing?”

Coming off your monster season last year, have you been talking to “people in the know” about your chances of getting a shot at the NFL or professional ball somewhere? “I full-heartedly believe in my abilities to play in the NFL. I’ve had that dream since I started playing. 

“I definitely started the process…and do everything in my power to make sure I’m at my very best for this upcoming season. I’m feeling great right now. [It’s time] to put the product on tape and get around as many scouts as I can and show them my ability.” 

They play good football at the FCS-level, don’t they? “Oh, yeah. I’m not afraid to admit, coming from a Power 4 level, I didn’t want to go FCS. I thought my talent level was better but now that I’m here, seeing the guys we have on this team, we have FBS guys all over now. With the transfer portal and the JUCO players getting another year, we get a lot of bounce backs. It’s still high-level football. FCS football is good.”

Last year you guys pushed Texas Tech in Lubbock and honestly should have won the game. This year you travel two hours east to play TCU in Fort Worth. Does your team approach, “playing up” so-to-speak, change in these showcase Big 12 match ups? “I’m going to be honest, when I was at ASU, and we played NAU or Southern Utah, we’d always say, ‘We are going to beat the brakes off these dudes’ to get the season started but now, coming from the FCS-level, that Tech game we had last year went down to the wire…we should have won it in overtime.

“I feel like that game propelled a lot of our confidence. I’m excited. I love those type of games. I know ASU has NAU [the team ACU beat in the playoffs last year], so when the coaches watch the film, they’ll see [me making plays], they’ll know what they had. 

“I’m not going to lie, that fuels a lot of my fire, right there.”

Are you in grad school now? “Yes, I am. I’m in sports leadership with business analytics. I’m working to get my Master’s right now.

“My first goal is to get to the NFL, but definitely want to get my second degree. I might try to get my certificate, become an athletic director, at the high school level and work my way up to collegiate.”

Think you’d ever want to coach? “Oh, definitely. Right now, I’m going to stay away from college. I’d love to be a GA [graduate assistant], but that’s a lot of work straight out of ball. I mean, if I move back to Arizona, I definitely want to work at Saguaro, for sure…if they asked me to.”

As an assistant coach? “Yes. Definitely I would be on [their] staff.”

Do you feel college football is getting out of control with NIL, all the players just sitting in the portal, and seemingly never-ending NCAA rule changes we’ve seen over the last couple of years? Is it in a healthy space or are we driving down a road where there’s no turning back? “Bigger schools with more money have been doing it for years, but it’s legal now.

“For guys like us at the FCS level, I think it’s a great thing because we have limited scholarships and guys aren’t really able to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness…at the FBS, I think it’s a little out of hand, because some of these guys are getting insane amount of money but if they’re able to take care of their family and people who helped them along the way. Invest it. Save it. Make sure they pay their taxes because some [people] don’t have that knowledge that there’s taxes to be paid on the money they’re receiving.

“The NCAA has so much money under their belt. They’ve been holding on to so much money. 

“It’s really an arms race. Whoever has the shiny new thing, that’s what attracts kids.” 

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