Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent will be making his second NFL start this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. Last week, he helped the Bears defeat the Las Vegas Raiders in his first career start. When you see Bagent introduce himself on Sunday Night Football against the Chargers, he is likely to say, “Tyson Bagent, Shepherd University.”
Bagent signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent after playing four seasons at Shepherd. Let’s take a look at Bagent’s college and the school’s football history.
Where Is Shepherd University?
Shepherd University is a public liberal arts college with about 3,2000 students and is located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The school is about 90 minutes from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The school’s nickname is the Rams, and the teams wear blue and gold.
Shepherd University competes at the Division II level and has been a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference since 2019. The school has 15 varsity sports, seven men’s and eight women’s teams.
Bagent’s Record-Setting Career at Shepherd
Bagent set an NCAA record across all divisions with 159 career touchdown passes. He led the school to three NCAA Tournament wins in three different seasons, and Shepherd advanced to the semifinals in 2021 and 2022.
As a junior, Bagent won the 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy, considered the Heisman Trophy of Division II football. He passed for 5,000 yards with 53 touchdowns and had 13 interceptions in 15 games.
Bagent was the first Shepherd player to be invited to the Senior Bowl after being named second-team All-American. He had an impressive outing in the game, completing 17 of 22 passes for 138 yards.
Bagent holds 27 school records, including the most passing yards in a game (518 yards), the most touchdown passes in a game (7), and the most passing yards in a career (17,034 yards).
Other Shepherd University Players in the NFL
There have been three players from Shepherd selected in the NFL Draft. The Baltimore Colts selected quarterback John Shearer in the 1956 Draft. The Colts and the AFL’s Oakland Raiders both selected offensive tackle Bob Hogue in 1960 — neither played in the NFL or AFL.
The last Shepherd player drafted was running back Wayne Wilson, who was a 12th-round selection by the Houston Oilers in 1979. He rushed for over 2,500 yards in 111 career games over nine seasons. His best season was in 1983 with the New Orleans Saints, when he rushed 787 yards and had 11 total touchdowns.
Wilson finished his nine-year career as a replacement player for Washington in 1987, when the team went on to win the Super Bowl.
Linebacker Howard Jones (24 games), tight end Dominique Jones (22 games), safety Tre Sullivan (12 games), and kicker Ricky Schmitt (one game) are the other Shepherd players to make the NFL over the last 15 years.
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