Bagent’s college coordinator opens up on the signal-caller’s mindset
Almost exactly a year after San Francisco 49ers phenom Brock Purdy threw his first NFL pass, the league was properly introduced in 2023 to its next great underdog story in Tyson Bagent.
The rookie quarterback first made waves when he won the Chicago Bears’ backup job despite going undrafted out of Division II Shepherd University. Halfway through his first season, replacing the injured Justin Fields, Bagent took it further, becoming the first D-II QB to make an NFL start in 13 years, and the first Chicago quarterback to win his starting debut in almost two decades.
Now he’s opening the Bears’ 2024 season, starting Thursday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in place of the resting Caleb Williams, who went No. 1 overall in this spring’s draft. While Williams was the crown jewel of his college class, Bagent is far more accomplished than many may realize. In fact, he is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in college football history, owning the NCAA’s all-time record for career touchdown passes (159). He also went 26-4 in his final two years at Shepherd after guiding back-to-back state championships in high school.
Bagent’s track record, which now includes a 2-2 stretch as Chicago’s 2023 fill-in, has him well-positioned to be Williams’ top backup for the long term. And while team brass is now championing his moxie — assistant general manager Ian Cunningham noted this summer “he has this confidence about him” — Bagent’s position coach from his final year at Shepherd insists this is just the beginning.
Tyler Haines is now the head coach at Catawba College in North Carolina, but he spent 2022 as Shepherd’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, overseeing Bagent’s senior season in which the quarterback led D-II with 400 pass completions. He also served as Shepherd’s pro liaison, communicating with scouts from all 32 NFL teams in the lead-up to the 2023 draft. In this exclusive conversation with CBS Sports, he sheds some light on what makes Bagent tick, and why he’s bound for more stardom:
CBS Sports: What convinced you during your time together that Tyson Bagent was destined for an NFL emergence?
Haines: I talked to every single scout his senior year, and I tried to explain to every NFL team what makes Tyson Tyson. I’ll say this: He’s different. He’s different than anybody I’ve ever coached, on a whole lot of levels. He’s the ultra-competitor, no matter what he does, whether it’s CrossFit or rock-paper-scissors or walking on his hands — I’ve seen him walk on his hands almost 100 yards. Everything’s a big deal to Tyson.
This guy self-prepared maybe 90% of his meals as a college kid. I remember, off the Potomac River near West Virginia, a couple of the players at Shepherd created sort of a cold tub in an actual stream, and he’d go in it every day. We’re talking November, December, and he’s in there trying to take care of his body. Other guys were playing video games, going on dates and he’s self-preparing meals and sitting in a stream.
With all his accomplishments, how did Bagent go undrafted? And surely he is motivated by the way his career began?
Haines: He comes from what you’d call the middle of nowhere, West Virginia (a small town named Martinsburg). He’s always been out to prove people wrong. Everybody’s always told him he’s not an NFL quarterback. He carries that proudly. I remember, his senior year, we were down 21-14 at the half to Kutztown, a good team, and we came back to win; he finished with 456 yards and four touchdowns. What I saw from the sidelines was, everybody was into it because Tyson was into it.
It just so happened the Chicago Bears were at that game. As for why he wasn’t drafted, I think it’s hard to put your name on a guy if it’s a D-II player, because if you do that and it doesn’t work out, you might lose your job. The Bears took a chance on him, and they’re gonna be the heroes because of it. Every team came out during his senior year — regional scouts, head scouts, every team was represented. The Bears were one of five that came almost every other week, so it didn’t shock me when they called.
It’s become common for scouts or analysts to loosely compare mobile young QBs to elite stars like Patrick Mahomes, illogical as that may be. But are there NFL comparisons you made to scouts, or can make today?
Haines: He has ‘it.’ I’m watching his first start against the Raiders, and I just feel the team, the stadium, embracing him, because how can you not? He had 50-some odd friends and family there. And he doesn’t like to paint himself into a box; Tyson is Tyson. But me personally, what I see is elite feet. His lower half is perfect. I compare his lower half to Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady in terms of just footwork. I think he’s underrated as an athlete, too. What goes under-noticed is his scrambling ability. He’s 6-3, 213, but he can move. One of the things he’s worked on is arm-angle adjustments. We had a lot of quick-game, quick throws at Shepherd. He’s worked on that so he can deliver with the sidearm or the over-the-top motion.
Bagent recently told reporters he believes he was predestined for his rise, crediting faith — and his father’s unwavering belief — for his climb. How did that manifest in your time together?
Haines: You’ll notice he’s got a lot of tattoos — a sleeve on his left arm. Most of them, if not all of them, are faith-based. He’s a faithful Christian churchgoer, and that helps make him who he is. Our head coach, Ernie McCook, went to the same church. He even allowed Tyson to miss some meetings on Sundays if Tyson needed to get to church, or it went long. Sometimes it goes unnoticed, because when you watch him, he is fiery, he spikes the ball, you see him yelling. But he’s a man of faith.
It’s unclear what the future holds in Chicago. The Bears could hold early picks in the 2024 draft and pursue a QB. They have a former first-rounder in Justin Fields. At any rate, where do you see Bagent three or five years down the road?
Haines: I will tell you what I told every scout. No scout thought he’d be a starting quarterback the following year. But he’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the years to come. He just is. It takes work, but I don’t think it’s that farfetched, three to five years down the road, because of who he is. That may sound farfetched, but I know which side I’m on.
