Have you heard of the Shepherd Rams? Me neither, at least, I hadn’t until a little-known undrafted free agent quarterback from the Division II collegiate football team and son of a professional arm wrestler started games for the Chicago Bears in his rookie season.
That’s the story of Tyson Bagent, who went from playing in front of 5,000 fans in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to the roaring crowds of Soldier Field and millions of Americans on NFL Sundays.
Tyson Bagent Enters Second Season With the Chicago Bears
Bagent is entering his second year with the Bears. After making the 53-man roster out of training camp in 2023 and surpassing Nathan Peterman on the depth chart to secure the primary backup role, Bagent was called upon to fill in for Justin Fields when the former first-round pick was sidelined due to injury.
Bagent performed admirably for an undrafted rookie out of a DII school, completing more than 70% of his passes for 84 yards and rushing for a touchdown in a close loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
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Bagent surprised even the most ardent Shepherd Rams supporters the following week when he and the Bears trounced the Las Vegas Raiders in a 30-12 win. He completed 21 of 29 attempts for 162 yards and a score, with zero turnovers. He also tacked on another 24 yards on the ground.
On the season, Bagent won two of his four starts, completing nearly 66% of his passes for 859 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions while supplementing the stat sheet with 109 yards and two TDs on the ground.
Heading into the 2024 season, Bagent is competing with veteran Brett Rypien and undrafted rookie Austin Reed for the QB2 spot behind No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
Tyson Bagent’s Collegiate Career
Bagent spent all five of his collegiate seasons with the Rams, though one was canceled due to COVID-19. He played substantially out of the gate, including 10 games in his freshman season in which he completed 65% of passes for 3,029 yards and 29 touchdowns to just 13 picks.
From there, his college career was a DII rocket ship to the moon. Bagent took a huge step in his sophomore season, completing a career-best 71% of his passes for 4,349 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
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After the majority of his junior season was canceled, Bagent’s production exploded in 2021. In 15 games, he averaged a whopping 39 passes per contest and still managed a completion rate of 68%. He compiled exactly 5,000 yards and 53 touchdowns to just 13 picks.
His impressive efficiency continued into his final season, having amassed 4,580 yards on a 70% completion rate, along with 41 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Bagent’s 159 career passing touchdowns, 17,034 career passing yards, and 1,400 career completions are all NCAA DII records, and he earned a litany of awards over his storied Rams career.
Bagent was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, where he garnered enough attention to earn an undrafted free agent contract with the Bears.