Maybe John Denver was right. Maybe West Virginia is almost heaven? Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent certainly thought so. He grew up in the Mountaineer State and despite some attention from Division I college football programs when he was a high school senior, chose to remain close to home and attend Division II Shepherd University in Shepherdstown. There, he threw for 5,000 yards and 53 touchdowns in a single season on the way to winning the 2021 Harlon Hill Award, Division II football’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
He so dominated his division that, like many athletes today, he flirted with the idea of transferring to a Division I program to test himself against higher caliber opponents and see where he stood in the pecking order of aspirants to the world of professional football. He got a couple of nibbles but chose to finish his college career playing in the place where he had always felt he was able to develop himself the best — and then see what the football gods had in store.
By the time his career was complete at Shepherd, he had thrown 159 touchdown passes, which was the most by any NCAA quarterback in any division… ever. That ridiculous number didn’t earn him a call during the NFL draft, but it did get him a look as a free agent with the Bears. To prepare for his “interview” with Chicago, he relied on doing the thing that had brought him so much success up to that point: work hard and work hard every day. First, he got a hold of the Bears’ playbook from their offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, and then every day, he and a buddy went to Shepherd’s Ram Stadium and worked their way through the entire playbook, play-by-play, his buddy calling in different plays via cell phone from the bleachers, until Bagent, with an AirPod in his ear mimicking the sound inside an NFL helmet, knew each play like the back of his hand.
Once he got to the Bears’ training camp, he knew the playbook as well as anyone in camp, including veterans. Eventually, the undrafted player managed to dislodge the backups in front of him and become the proverbial number two — which meant he was one toe sprain or injured finger away from starting for one of football’s iconic franchises.
When Bears starter Justin Field did, in fact, dislocate his thumb in an October 15 loss to Minnesota, Bagent came in and, the following week, got his first NFL start against the Las Vegas Raiders. He finished 21-for-29 passing for 162 yards with one touchdown and, most importantly, no turnovers in the Bears’ dominant 30-12 victory. He had a passer rating of 97.2. But perhaps most tellingly, when Chicago Head Coach Matt Eberflus handed him one of three game balls in the locker room after the game, his teammates cheered him just as they had the other heroes of the day.
They didn’t care whether Bagent had come into Soldier Field through the back door, the side door or the front door. They only cared that he came ready to play. What his teammates probably didn’t know was that before the game Bagent had assured his coaches of his readiness.
“Going into the game last week, I just kind of told ‘em, ‘Hey, I know you guys have a lot of faith in me, but I do want to let you know I know the whole call sheet. So don’t be afraid to do your thing. Call your plays. Don’t hinder the offense just ‘cause I’m going in there, because I’ve prepared for this all week,’ said Bagent.
In his second NFL start, against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Bagent and the Bears did not fare as well, losing 30-13, with Bagent throwing a pair of interceptions. Will he keep his starting job once Field’s finger is healed? Unlikely. But what does seems likely is Bagent will handle the job competition in the right frame of mind, which is something all of us should aspire to do in whatever field we play.
There are so many leadership lessons in the Tyson Bagent story, including:
- There are no back doors, only doors. Bagent may have chosen a lower league to dominate in college, but he maximized his time at Shepherd by becoming the most prolific touchdown passer at any college level. The achievement didn’t escape his coach’s notice. Said the Bears’ Eberflus in reference to Bagent’s college playing days, “Because he played a lot of ball… and threw thousands of passes, he understands concepts very well.”
- Play within yourself. “Poised” and “confident” are two of the words teammates use to describe Bagent. These traits don’t come from comparing yourself to others or letting your imagination get ahead of you. Here’s Bagent on how he controls the controllables: “I feel like the staple of how I try to play quarterback is getting the ball out of your hands and making really good decisions.” Hard to argue with that.
- Believe. When you believe in yourself, others will, too. “If you’re good enough, the NFL will find you,” said Chargers coach Brandon Staley of Bagent. “When I look at him, I see a player who belongs and who is good enough to play quarterback in the NFL.”
Whether Bagent takes another snap or not, he shows us what can happen when we take the time to develop our personal as well as professional playbook and learn them play-by-play.
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