Who in the World is Tyson Bagent?
If you casually tuned in to Sunday's game between the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders, you'd be forgiven for asking yourself, "Who on earth is this guy playing quarterback for the Bears?".
That would be Tyson Bagent, the pride of Martinsburg, West Virginia.
A no-star recruit coming out of high school, Bagent had nowhere near a single bite from the FBS level, so he ended up at Division II Shepherd University, which boasts and enrollment of around 3,000 students.
All Bagent did after that was win the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2021 (the D2 equivalent of the Heisman), among other national accolades at that level. He impressed enough of the right people to land at the Senior Bowl, and then the NFL Scouting Combine.
He still ended up going undrafted, but after landing with the Bears, he won the backup job behind Justin Fields coming out of training camp and the preseason. After an injury in Week 6 knocked Fields out of the lineup, it was Bagent who would get his first career NFL start in Week 7 against the Raiders.
He may not have lit up the stat sheet, but Bagent completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 162 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions in a 30-12 victory. It was just the second win of the year for Chicago, and their first home win since September of 2022.
Bagent had a massive contingent in the stands to watch his memorable performance:
(Oh, by the way, his dad is a world champion arm wrestler):
After the game, Bagent reflected on his winding football journey that brought him to Soldier Field:
Bagent may need more than Sunday's win to create a true quarterback controversy with Fields in Chicago, but it's safe to say that he's already outplayed the doubters that had no interest in him as a high school recruit.
