Football
Chaffee, Shawn
Shawn Chaffee
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach/Linebackers
- Alma Mater:
- College of Wooster, 2013
- Office Phone:
- (478) 301-4602
- Email:
- chaffee_s@mercer.edu
A 12-year coaching veteran with previous stops at six other collegiate institutions, Shawn Chaffee begins his second year at Mercer in 2025-26, as well as his eighth season alongside head coach Mike Jacobs, as the associate head coach and linebackers coach for the Bears. Chaffee joined the coaching staff in Macon in January 2024 after spending the previous four seasons as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Lenoir-Rhyne.
Chaffee’s linebacker corps played a pivotal role on a dominant defensive unit in 2024 as the Bears paced all 123 FCS teams in five defensive statistical categories, including school-record marks for forced turnovers (34), passes intercepted (25) and rushing defense (70.8 rushing yards/game allowed). Mercer’s linebackers accounted for nearly 35 percent of the team’s total tackles and more than 25 percent of its stops behind the line, including seniors Isaac Dowling and Ken Standley, as well as junior Dainsus Miller, who all earned a spot on the All-Southern Conference squad.
Chaffee trekked to Middle Georgia from Hickory, N.C., where he held the reins of a dominating defense at Lenoir-Rhyne for the previous four seasons. The Bears ranked among NCAA Division II’s top total defenses with Chaffee at the helm, including an impressive 2023 campaign that saw Lenoir-Rhyne limit opponents to just 258.5 yards (9th NCAA) and 14.7 points (7th) NCAA per game. L-R also ranked fifth among NCAA Division II in tackles for loss (8.3/game) and eighth in forced turnovers (28).
Lenoir-Rhyne’s stop unit raked in 14 all-conference and five all-region honors under Chaffee’s watch, while two student-athletes – defensive lineman Andre Jefferson and linebacker Jon Ross Maye – combined to earn a quartet of all-American laurels. Former defensive tackle Amari Houston also picked up South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year accolades following a dominant senior campaign in 2021.
Prior to his move to western North Carolina, Chaffee served as the defensive line coach at Notre Dame (Ohio) for two seasons (2018-19), and was an integral part of a coaching staff that paced the Falcons to a 25-3 clip, two Mountain East Conference championships and a pair of NCAA postseason appearances, including an appearance in the NCAA semifinals in 2018. Notre Dame limited opponents to just 86.4 rushing yards per game with Chaffee roaming the sidelines, and accumulated 90 sacks (3.2/game) across the 2018 and 2019 seasons as well.
Chaffee developed four all-conference standouts while in South Euclid, Ohio, including Sha’haun Williams who was named to three all-America teams following both his junior and senior campaigns. Williams recorded an NCAA-best 20 sacks (3rd all-time NCAA) during the 2018 campaign, while also finishing second, nationally, with 24-1/2 tackles for loss.
Chaffee served graduate assistant roles at three different colleges, including a two-year stint as a defensive line and linebackers coach at Ball State during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, before attaining his first full-time gig in 2015 as the defensive line and linebackers coach for Methodist. The Monarchs tacked up 2.9 sacks per game (28th NCAA) and 7.2 tackles for loss an outing during his lone season in Fayetteville, N.C.
A three-year mainstay on the offensive and defensive lines at The College of Wooster from 2009-12 under head coach Mike Schmitz, Chaffee was a starter at both center and nose guard for the Fighting Scots during his junior and senior seasons. He logged 38 tackles during his senior season, while also forcing a fumble and breaking up four passes.
Chaffee earned his bachelor’s degree in history from The College of Wooster in 2013. He completed his graduate work in education at Carthage College in 2015. Shawn and his wife, Erin, have one daughter, Adalyn.
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Chaffee’s linebacker corps played a pivotal role on a dominant defensive unit in 2024 as the Bears paced all 123 FCS teams in five defensive statistical categories, including school-record marks for forced turnovers (34), passes intercepted (25) and rushing defense (70.8 rushing yards/game allowed). Mercer’s linebackers accounted for nearly 35 percent of the team’s total tackles and more than 25 percent of its stops behind the line, including seniors Isaac Dowling and Ken Standley, as well as junior Dainsus Miller, who all earned a spot on the All-Southern Conference squad.
Chaffee trekked to Middle Georgia from Hickory, N.C., where he held the reins of a dominating defense at Lenoir-Rhyne for the previous four seasons. The Bears ranked among NCAA Division II’s top total defenses with Chaffee at the helm, including an impressive 2023 campaign that saw Lenoir-Rhyne limit opponents to just 258.5 yards (9th NCAA) and 14.7 points (7th) NCAA per game. L-R also ranked fifth among NCAA Division II in tackles for loss (8.3/game) and eighth in forced turnovers (28).
Lenoir-Rhyne’s stop unit raked in 14 all-conference and five all-region honors under Chaffee’s watch, while two student-athletes – defensive lineman Andre Jefferson and linebacker Jon Ross Maye – combined to earn a quartet of all-American laurels. Former defensive tackle Amari Houston also picked up South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year accolades following a dominant senior campaign in 2021.
Prior to his move to western North Carolina, Chaffee served as the defensive line coach at Notre Dame (Ohio) for two seasons (2018-19), and was an integral part of a coaching staff that paced the Falcons to a 25-3 clip, two Mountain East Conference championships and a pair of NCAA postseason appearances, including an appearance in the NCAA semifinals in 2018. Notre Dame limited opponents to just 86.4 rushing yards per game with Chaffee roaming the sidelines, and accumulated 90 sacks (3.2/game) across the 2018 and 2019 seasons as well.
Chaffee developed four all-conference standouts while in South Euclid, Ohio, including Sha’haun Williams who was named to three all-America teams following both his junior and senior campaigns. Williams recorded an NCAA-best 20 sacks (3rd all-time NCAA) during the 2018 campaign, while also finishing second, nationally, with 24-1/2 tackles for loss.
Chaffee served graduate assistant roles at three different colleges, including a two-year stint as a defensive line and linebackers coach at Ball State during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, before attaining his first full-time gig in 2015 as the defensive line and linebackers coach for Methodist. The Monarchs tacked up 2.9 sacks per game (28th NCAA) and 7.2 tackles for loss an outing during his lone season in Fayetteville, N.C.
A three-year mainstay on the offensive and defensive lines at The College of Wooster from 2009-12 under head coach Mike Schmitz, Chaffee was a starter at both center and nose guard for the Fighting Scots during his junior and senior seasons. He logged 38 tackles during his senior season, while also forcing a fumble and breaking up four passes.
Chaffee earned his bachelor’s degree in history from The College of Wooster in 2013. He completed his graduate work in education at Carthage College in 2015. Shawn and his wife, Erin, have one daughter, Adalyn.
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| THE CHAFFEE FILE | |
| Coaching Experience | |
| 2013 | Westminster (Graduate Assistant Coach/Defensive Line) |
| 2014 | Carthage (Graduate Assistant Coach/Defensive Line) |
| 2015 | Methodist (Assistant Coach/Defensive Line & Linebackers) |
| 2016-17 | Ball State (Graduate Assistant Coach/Defensive Line & Linebackers) |
| 2018-19 | Notre Dame, Ohio (Assistant Coach/Defensive Line) |
| 2020-23 | Lenoir-Rhyne (Assistant Coach/Defensive Coordinator) |
| 2024-Present | Mercer (Assistant Coach/Linebackers) |
| Playing Experience | |
| Played four seasons (2009-12) at The College of Wooster. Three-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines. | |
| Education | |
| Bachelor's degree in history (The College of Wooster, 2013). Master's degree in education (Carthage College, 2015). | |
| Family | |
| Wife, Erin, and one daughter, Adalyn | |
Updated: June 2025
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