EASTON, Pa. – End of the year laurels continued to roll in for Lafayette football as senior Billy Shaeffer, sophomore Jamar Curtis and freshman Jaylon Joseph have earned placement on the 2023 Stats Perform FCS All-America and Freshman teams presented by FedEx.
 
Shaeffer, a linebacker from Warrington, Pa. is a First-Team selection on defense a week after the Associated Press slotted him on the All-America Second Team. The International Affairs major led the conference with 10 sacks (0.83 per game) to end the season tied for 10th in the nation. It was the most sacks for a Leopard since 2000 and the second-most ever in a season at Lafayette. He also rang up 21.5 tackles for loss (TFL) to pace the Patriot League and rank him fourth in the nation. Shaeffer started all 12 games and led the team with 83 tackles and five forced fumbles to secure All-Patriot League First-Team honors. He was recently named to the final three for the Buck Buchanan Award as the national defensive player of the year, an award announced on Jan. 6.
 
Curtis, a native of Waldorf, Md., was named to the second team by Stats Perform, just a week after he secured All-America second-team honors from the Associated Press. Curtis finished second in the nation in rushing, churning out 1,460 yards to set a new Lafayette single-season rushing record. He collected All-Patriot League First-Team honors, averaging 133 yards per game, while finishing fourth in the nation in rushing touchdowns (15) and scoring (9.3 ppg) over 11 games. The first Leopard since 2013 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, Curtis finished off the 2023 campaign with a four-touchdown performance vs. No. 11 Delaware in the FCS Playoffs. Curtis was also named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award given to the offensive player of the year.
 
Joseph, a rookie from Houston, Texas, was named to the 2023 Stats Perform Freshman All-America Team after being selected as a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award given to the top FCS freshman. Named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year on Nov. 21, Joseph was one of 12 All-Patriot League selections. He started 11 games, piling up 28 tackles (13 solo) with 5.5 tackles for a loss of 31 yards, including four sacks and a team-high 10 QB hurries.
 
Led by Patriot League Coach of the Year, John Troxell, Lafayette rolled up nine wins, a five-win improvement from 2022 and the most victories for the program since 1981. Along the way, Lafayette collected its eighth Patriot League championship and fifth NCAA FCS Playoff appearance.