Tyson Jacob Bagent (; born June 8, 2000) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Shepherd Rams The Shepherd Rams are the athletic teams that represent Shepherd University (formerly Shepherd College), located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in Division II intercollegiate sports of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The R ...

. As a five-year starter at Shepherd, Bagent broke almost every quarterback record for the school, broke the Division II record for completions (1,400) and passing yards (17,034), and the NCAA record for passing touchdowns (159). In 2021, Bagent won the

Harlon Hill Trophy The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Harl ...

and the Hardman Award winner. He was named DII Offensive Player of the Year by almost every outlet. He was also a two-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year. On October 22, 2023, Bagent became the first Division II undrafted rookie quarterback to start an NFL game since 1950.

Early life

Bagent grew up in

Martinsburg, West Virginia Martinsburg is a city in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 18,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making Martinsburg the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia a ...

as the oldest of four children. His father, Travis Bagent, is a world arm-wrestling champion. He is of Welsh descent via his grandfather Dave Humphreys, who emigrated from

Maentwrog Maentwrog () is a village and community in the Welsh county of Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog just below Blaenau Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the vil ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

. He attended

Martinsburg High School Martinsburg High School is a high school located in the upper Shenandoah Valley in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Martinsburg, West Virginia. The school is a member of the WVSSAC. The principal of the school is Trent Sherman. History and academi ...

, where he played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. In 2017, was named the West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year after passing for 41 touchdowns. Bagent finished his high school career with 7,800 passing yards and 112 touchdown passes. Bagent was recruited by Division I

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...

schools

Robert Morris Robert or Bob Morris may refer to: :''Ordered chronologically within each section.'' Politics and the law * Robert Hunter Morris (1700–1764), lieutenant governor of Colonial Pennsylvania * Robert Morris (financier) (1734–1806), one of the Foun ...

and Albany, but committed to play

at Division II school

Shepherd University Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In the fall of 2023, the university enrolled 3,274 ...

Shepherdstown, West Virginia Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,531 at the time of the 2020 census. The town wa ...

College career

2018 season

Bagent became the starting

for the

as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

in 2018 and made his debut on September 1, 2018, against Notre Dame (OH), where he threw for 518 yards on 36 completions and 54 attempts and three touchdowns in a 35–33 loss. His completions, attempts, and passing yards were all school records. A week later against Glenville State, Bagent was named

Mountain East Conference The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, m ...

(MEC) Offensive Player of the Week when he completed 32 of 41 passes for 378 yards and four total touchdowns in a 41–24 win. In their 27–7 road win against

West Virginia State West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Color ...

, Bagent would win the award for the second-straight week with a 318-yard, two-touchdown performance. Against WV Wesleyan, Bagent set the school and MEC record for touchdown passes in a single game with seven in Shepherd's 58–35 win. Following the end of the season, Bagent earned First-team All-MEC honors. He finished 253 for 387 in passing attempts, with 3,029 passing yards on 29 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions. Bagent was also awarded Third-team Don Hansen All-Regional.

2019 season

In Week 2 of the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

, Bagent completed 36 passes on 54 attempts for 438 yards and three touchdowns. His 36 completions tied his record from the previous season. He would win

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers C ...

East Offensive Athlete of the Week award for his performance. A week later, he would win the award again against

Clarion Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The Register (music), register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A Trumpet (organ stop), trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave abov ...

when he had 394 yards and five touchdowns. In Week 5, Bagent would be inactive after being injured in their Week 4 matchup. True freshman quarterback, Christian Etchison, took his place and led the Rams to a 62–28 win. Bagent won PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week again after throwing for 413 yards and three touchdowns in a win over No. 12 West Chester. Following the end of the 2019 season, Bagent was named Second-team All-PSAC East after passing for 4,349 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also set the single-season school record for passing percentage with 71.01%.

2020 season

Bagent's junior season was canceled due to COVID-19. In the one game he played against Mercyhurst, Bagent was 13-of-19 for 76 yards and one interception in the 38–14 win.

2021 season

Against Ohio Dominican, Bagent finished with 26 completions for 346 yards and four touchdowns in a 35–30 win. On September 11, Bagent had five touchdowns and 363 yards in a 56–26 win against Gannon. Against No. 14/19 IUP, Bagent finished 28-of-41 for 468 yards and four touchdowns (one interception) in a 37–21 win. Against

Kutztown Kutztown (Pennsylvania German: ''Kutzeschteddel'') is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located southwest of Allentown and northeast of Reading. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 4,162. Kutztow ...

, he threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns in a 42–35 win. On October 9 against Lock Haven, Bagent helped the Rams put up 75 points in a 75–21 blowout win. He had five touchdowns in the performance. Shepherd finished the regular season with a 10–1 record and they were ranked No. 8 going into the Division II Playoffs. After three wins against unranked Findlay, No. 6/11 Notre Dame (OH), and No. 12/12 Kutztown, Shepherd would run into No. 1/1 Ferris State and they would lose 55–7 in the Division II Semifinal. During that game, Bagent threw for 249 yards on 22 completions, one touchdown, and one interception. He was also sacked three times during the game. In 2021, Bagent led Division II in completions (391), pass attempts (579), passing yards (5,000), and passing touchdowns (53). This would be the ninth time, fourth time in Division II, that a player has thrown a 5,000-yard, 50-touchdown season. He was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year as well as the

winner and the Hardman Award winner. He was also awarded DII Offensive Player of the Year awards by Don Hansen, D2Football.com, D2CCA Ron Lenz, and was named All-Super Region One Offensive Player of the Year by D2CCA. His Division II

honors included the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(AP),

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

(AFCA), D2CCA, and Don Hansen. He was also named First-team All-PSAC East.

2022 season

After the 2021 season, Bagent entered the

NCAA transfer portal The NCAA transfer portal is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) application, database, and compliance tool created to manage and facilitate the process for student athletes seeking to transfer between member institutions. It is i ...

and visited

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, but ultimately opted to stay at Shepherd for his final season of eligibility. On December 3, 2022, Bagent broke the record for touchdown passes across all NCAA divisions with 159, in Shepherd's 4813 win over IUP during their quarterfinal game. They reached the semifinals of the Division II Playoffs but lost to the

Colorado Mines Orediggers The Colorado Mines Orediggers (also Mines Orediggers) are the athletic teams that represent the Colorado School of Mines, located in Golden, Colorado, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Orediggers compete as members of the Rocky Mou ...

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Bagent participated in the 2023

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

. He went undrafted but was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

2023 season

Bagent made the Bears'

53-man roster The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

at the end of the

preseason In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

. He was named third string on the Bears

depth chart In sports, a depth chart, primarily in the United States, is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below. Depth chart ...

to begin the 2023 season, behind starter

Justin Fields Justin Skyler Fields (born March 5, 1999) is an American professional football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with the Georgia Bulldogs, he played college football for the Ohio State B ...

and veteran

Nathan Peterman Nathan Michael Peterman (born May 4, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers following a stint with the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fif ...

. He was promoted to second string before Week 4. Bagent made his NFL debut for the Bears against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

on October 15 after Fields left the game with an injury. He completed 10-of-14 passes for 83 yards, with one rushing touchdown, a fumble and an interception en route to a 19–13 loss. Due to Fields's injury, Bagent was named as the starter for the Bears Week 7 game against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

. He completed 21-of-29 passes for 162 yards, rushed 24 yards, and also threw one passing touchdown in a 30–12 win. Bagent was the first Bears quarterback to win in his inaugural NFL start since

Craig Krenzel Craig Krenzel (born July 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. As the starting quarterback, he led thei ...

in 2004. On '' Sunday Night Football'', Bagent completed 25-of-37 passes for 232 yards, two interceptions and also had a rushing touchdown in the 30–13 loss against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. In Week 9, Bagent completed 18-of-30 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions while also losing a fumble in a 24–17 loss to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. He started one more game on ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to ...

'' the following week against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, where he led the Bears to victory 16–13 as he went 20-of-33 for 162 yards. Fields returned to the starting role in Week 11 and Bagent reverted to being the backup. Bagent threw for 859 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 2–2 record during his four-week stint as the Bears' starting quarterback.

2024 season

Bagent entered the 2024 offseason competing with

Brett Rypien Brett Robert Rypien (; born July 9, 1996) is an American professional football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos and signed with the Denver Broncos ...

for the Bears' second-string quarterback slot, the latter having experience under new offensive coordinator

Shane Waldron Shane Waldron (born August 17, 1979) is an American professional football coach who currently serves as the passing game coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach f ...

's system, but ultimately secured the job. He served as the backup to rookie Caleb Williams, with limited on-field action.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Awards and honors

College

(2021) * Hardman Award (2021) * Don Hansen Division II Offensive Player of the Year (2021) * D2Football.com Division II Offensive Player of the Year (2021) * D2CCA Ron Lenz Division II Offensive Player of the Year (2021) * 2× D2CCA All-Super Region One Offensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022) * 2× PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022) * AP Division II

First Team (2021) * AP Division II All-American Second Team (2022) * 2× AFCA Division II Coaches' All-American First Team (2021, 2022) * D2CCA All-American First Team (2021) * D2CCA All-American Second Team (2022) * Don Hansen All-American First Team (2021) * Don Hansen All-American Second Team (2022) * D2Football.com Elite 100 First Team (2021) * D2Football.com Elite 100 Second Team (2022) * 2× D2CCA All-Super Region One First Team (2021, 2022) * Don Hansen All-Super Region One Third Team (2018) * All- MEC First Team (2018) * 2× All-PSAC East First Team (2021, 2022) * All-PSAC East Second Team (2019)

Records

NCAA Division II records

* Most completions, career: 1,400 * Most passing yards, career: 17,034 * Most touchdown passes, career: 159 * Most yards of total offense, career: 17,213 * Most games 200+ total yards, season: 14 (2021) * Most games with 3+ touchdown passes, season: 11 (2021) * Most touchdown passes by a freshman, game: 7 (October 27, 2018, vs. West Virginia Wesleyan)

PSAC records

* Most completions, career: 1,147 * Most passing yards per game (min. 4,500 yards), career: 325.7 * Most completions, season: 400 (2022) * Most pass attempts, season: 579 (2021) * Most passing yards, season: 5,000 (2021)

Shepherd records

* Most completions, career: 1,400 * Most pass attempts, career: 2,040 * Most passing yards, career: 17,034 * Most touchdown passes, career: 159 * Most attempts of total offense, career: 2,264 * Most yards of total offense, career: 17,213 * Most touchdowns responsible for, career: 171 * Most games with 300+ passing yards, career: 32 * Most games with 400+ passing yards, career: 10 * Most completions, season: 400 (2022) * Most pass attempts, season: 579 (2021) * Most passing yards, season: 5,000 (2021) * Most touchdown passes, season: 53 (2021) * Most attempts of total offense, season: 625 (2021) * Most yards of total offense, season: 5,075 (2021) * Most touchdowns responsible for, season: 56 (2021) * Highest completion percentage, season: 71.01% (2019) * Most games with 300+ passing yards, season: 11 (2021) * Most games with 400+ passing yards, season: 3 (three times) (2019, 2021, 2022) * Most completions, game: 42 (September 25, 2021, vs. Kutztown) * Most pass attempts, game: 56 (September 1, 2018, vs. Notre Dame) * Most passing yards, game: 518 (September 1, 2018, vs. Notre Dame) * Most touchdown passes, game: 7 (October 27, 2018, vs. West Virginia Wesleyan) * Most attempts of total offense, game: 66 (September 1, 2018, vs. Notre Dame) * Most touchdowns responsible for, game: 7 (October 27, 2018, vs. West Virginia Wesleyan)

References

External links

Chicago Bears bio

Shepherd Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagent, Tyson 2000 births Living people American football quarterbacks American people of Welsh descent Chicago Bears players Martinsburg High School alumni Players of American football from West Virginia Shepherd Rams football players Sportspeople from Martinsburg, West Virginia