Tyson Bagent's college coach unsurprised at his success with Bears in preseason
CHICAGO (CBS) – When the Bears play the Green Bay Packers in Sunday's season opener at Solduer Field, the team will have Tyson Bagent listed as its third quarterback.
Bagent has been the story of Bears camp, an undrafted rookie quarterback out of tiny Shepherd University in West Virginia who made the 53-man roster.
CBS 2's Matt Zahn spoke with his college coach Ernie McCook, who, after watching him set records at the Division II level, isn't surprised to see him succeeding in Chicago.
Zahn: "What is it like to have all this attention for Shepherd University based on the awesome stuff that Tyson is doing up here with the Bears?"
McCook: "We're very proud of Tyson. We feel he's a great representation of our university, our football program, this community. He's a local guy. To know Tyson and to know how hard he works and how committed he is to the game of football. One, this doesn't surprise me, but I also do know he's the underdog and thrilled for him, and I really am looking forward to following him."
Zahn: "Has he always had this confidence about him? Because we certainly see that here, he doesn't act like a kid coming from a D-II school?"
McCook: "You know, he gets the confidence from tremendous preparation. There's nobody that prepares better than he does. He's a football junkie. He'll use every tool he can to learn the playbook, study the playbook, know the playbook, inside and out. He also takes care of his body, so mentally and physically, he is a top-shelf guy."
Zahn: "We're just starting to get to know him here. What's maybe something about Tyson that we probably don't know yet?"
McCook: "He wants to win, obviously on the football field, but he wants to win in everything he does. He wants to be the best he possibly can be in everything he does. We had an assistant athletic trainer, and she was a gymnast, and after practices, they would compete to see who could walk the farthest on their hands, and literally, Tyson can walk over 50 yards on his hands. I mean, he is a freakish athlete that nobody knows about, but to watch him after a long two-hour-plus practice, kinda in the grueling heat, as he's cooled down, he and the athletic trainer are competing to see who can walk the farthest, and when she would win he would be visibly upset."
Zahn: "Having the guy getting the attention at the NFL level like Tyson, what does that mean for a school like yours at the Division II level? It's gotta be nothing but great stuff for you at this point."
McCook: "It brings a lot of positive publicity to our program. We were very fortunate. We had four guys sign NFL contracts, and you know, of course, Tyson being the one that hooks on with the 53. If you look at those guys, they all had opportunities to go into the transfer portal leave and really try to achieve, and play at a higher level. Those guys stayed, and they have all had opportunities to play at the highest level in the NFL."
While Bagent is listed third on the depth chart, that doesn't mean he won't make his mark. Last year's Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy started out as the San Francisco 49ers' third quarterback and let them to the NFC Championship game.