As a five-year starter at Shepherd, Bagent broke almost every quarterback record for the school, broke the Division II record for completions (1,400) and passing yards (17,034), and the NCAA record for passing touchdowns (159). In 2021, Bagent was named the Harlon Hill Trophy and the Hardman Award winner as well as DII Offensive Player of the Year by almost every outlet. He was also a two-time All-American and PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year. On October 22, 2023, Bagent became the first Division II undrafted rookie quarterback to start an NFL game since 1950.[1]
Bagent became the starting quarterback for the Shepherd Rams as a freshman in 2018 and made his debut on September 1, 2018, against Notre Dame (OH), where he threw for 518 yards on 36 completions and 54 attempts and three touchdowns in a 35–33 loss. His completions, attempts, and passing yards were all school records.[10] A week later against Glenville State, Bagent was named Mountain East Conference (MEC) Offensive Player of the Week when he completed 32 of 41 passes for 378 yards and four total touchdowns in a 41–24 win.[11] In their 27–7 road win against West Virginia State, Bagent would win the award for the second-straight week with a 318-yard, two-touchdown performance.[12] Against WV Wesleyan, Bagent set the school and MEC record for touchdown passes in a single game with seven in Shepherd's 58–35 win.[13]
Following the end of the season, Bagent earned First-team All-MEC honors. He finished 253 for 387 in passing attempts, with 3,029 passing yards on 29 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions.[14] Bagent was also awarded Third-team Don Hansen All-Regional.[15]
In Week 2 of the 2019 season, Bagent completed 36 passes on 54 attempts for 438 yards and three touchdowns. His 36 completions tied his record from the previous season. He would win Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Offensive Athlete of the Week award for his performance.[16] A week later, he would win the award again against Clarion when he had 394 yards and five touchdowns.[17] In Week 5, Bagent would be inactive after being injured in their Week 4 matchup. True freshman quarterback, Christian Etchison, took his place and led the Rams to a 62–28 win.[18] Bagent won PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Week again after throwing for 413 yards and three touchdowns in a win over No. 12 West Chester.[19]
Following the end of the 2019 season, Bagent was named Second-team All-PSAC East after passing for 4,349 yards and 36 touchdowns.[20] He also set the single-season school record for passing percentage with 71.01%.[21]
Bagent's junior season was canceled due to COVID-19.[7] In the one game he played against Mercyhurst, Bagent was 13-of-19 for 76 yards and one interception in the 38–14 win.
Against Ohio Dominican, Bagent finished with 26 completions for 346 yards and four touchdowns in a 35–30 win.[22] On September 11, Bagent had five touchdowns and 363 yards in a 56–26 win against Gannon.[23] Against No. 14/19 IUP, Bagent finished 28-of-41 for 468 yards and four touchdowns (one interception) in a 37–21 win.[24] Against Kutztown, he threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns in a 42–35 win.[25] On October 9 against Lock Haven, Bagent helped the Rams put up 75 points in a 75–21 blowout win. He had five touchdowns in the performance.[26] Shepherd finished the regular season with a 10–1 record and they were ranked No. 8 going into the Division II Playoffs. After three wins against unranked Findlay, No. 6/11 Notre Dame (OH), and No. 12/12 Kutztown, Shepherd would run into No. 1/1 Ferris State and they would lose 55–7 in the Division II Semifinal. During that game, Bagent threw for 249 yards on 22 completions, one touchdown, and one interception. He was also sacked three times during the game.[27]
In 2021, Bagent led Division II in completions (391), pass attempts (579), passing yards (5,000), and passing touchdowns (53). This would be the ninth time, fourth time in Division II, that a player has thrown a 5,000-yard, 50-touchdown season. He was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year as well as the Harlon Hill Trophy winner and the Hardman Award winner.[28][29][30] He was also awarded DII Offensive Player of the Year awards by Don Hansen, D2Football.com, D2CCA Ron Lenz, and was named All-Super Region One Offensive Player of the Year by D2CCA.[31][32][33] His Division II All-American honors included the Associated Press (AP), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), D2CCA, and Don Hansen.[34][35] He was also named First-team All-PSAC East.[30]
After the 2021 season, Bagent entered the NCAA transfer portal and visited West Virginia and Maryland, but ultimately opted to stay at Shepherd for his final season of eligibility.[36][37][38] On December 3, 2022, Bagent broke the record for touchdown passes across all NCAA divisions with 159, in Shepherd's 48–13 win over IUP during their quarterfinal game. They reached the semifinals of the Division II Playoffs but lost to the Colorado Mines Orediggers.
Bagent made the Bears' 53-man roster at the end of the preseason.[43] He was named third string on the Bears depth chart to begin the 2023 season, behind starter Justin Fields and veteran Nathan Peterman.[44] He was promoted to second string before Week 4.[44] Bagent made his NFL debut for the Bears against the Minnesota Vikings on October 15 after Fields left the game with an injury.[45] He completed 10-of-14 passes for 83 yards, with one rushing touchdown, a fumble and an interception en route to a 19–13 loss.[45] Due to Fields's injury, Bagent was named as the starter for the Bears Week 7 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.[46] He completed 21-of-29 passes for 162 yards, rushed 24 yards, and also threw one passing touchdown in a 30–12 win.[47] Bagent was the first Bears quarterback to win in his inaugural NFL start since Craig Krenzel in 2004.[48]
On Sunday Night Football, Bagent completed 25-of-37 passes for 232 yards, two interceptions and also had a rushing touchdown in the 30–13 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers.[49][50] In Week 9, Bagent completed 18-of-30 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions while also losing a fumble in a 24–17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.[51] He started one more game on Thursday Night Football the following week against the Carolina Panthers, where he led the Bears to victory 16–13 as he went 20-of-33 for 162 yards.[52][53]
Fields returned to the starting role in Week 11 and Bagent reverted to being the backup. Bagent threw for 859 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 2–2 record during his four-week stint as the Bears' starting quarterback.[54]
