Hometown Standout Scott Tumilty Impresses at Bears' Local Pro Day

The Chicago Bears have made headlines all throughout the offseason. The latest was an invite-only, "pro-day" type event held at Northern Illinois University this past Tuesday, April 9.

Enter Scott Tumilty, a 23-year-old Villa Park resident and University of St. Francis attendee who dazzled at local Willowbrook High School as a three-sport standout and was dubbed a "freak athlete" by yours truly.

Tumilty, a 2022 and 2023 graduate with a degree in Accounting and an MBA, respectively, stands at 5'11" and a strong 206 lbs., able to range the width of the field at his safety position, as well as return any kickoff or punt for a touchdown.

In high school, Scott was a 2x all-state corner and safety, as well as a 2x academic all-stater, which made it an easy decision to go forward with college football. In his time at the University of St. Francis, located in south suburb Joliet, Tumilty was lighting in a bottle.

His electric returning ability paired with unique, and quite rare, intuition at safety took the Mid-States Football Association and nation by storm. It would take just a few snaps of watching Tumilty play to understand his ability and impact; however, his accolades may replace the need to watch him up close.

Just to name a few: 4x 1st team All-MSFA Safety, 3x 1st team All-MSFA Return Specialist, 2x Cliff Harris Award Finalist and 2x 2nd team All-American. He's also posted 2,200+ return yards, making him the University's all-time record holder.

Tuesday's invite hosted by the Bears also included a Minnesota Vikings scout and didn't last too long, only holding the 40-yard dash as well as taking the athlete's measurables. Tumilty, however, didn't need much time to wow the scouts in attendance.

Scott recorded an official 40 time of 4.46 seconds, which would've placed him as tied for 5th among safeties at the 2024 NFL Combine. Just for comparison, Tykee Smith, University of Georgia safety who also ran a 4.46 at the combine this year, is 5'10" and 202 lbs., making Tumilty's speed and size very comparable to top NFL prospects.

When asked about how he felt with his performance, Tumilty responded with, "Happy... I'm excited to see what opportunities may come from running that fast of a time." This type of response is the norm for Scott, who exudes humility. When poked at more about what may attract next level scouts toward him, Tumilty had this to say:

""I match up well and comparable to safeties in the league (NFL), like Jordan Poyer or Micah Hyde. I love to compete and am obsessed with the process... running hills, sprints with my brothers, hitting the weight room hard. After tearing my right quad last September and having to dedicate time to recovery and therapy, I was very happy to run a 4.46""

Tumilty doesn't have any immediate next steps to follow but will be on the lookout for any inbound communication with scouts. As our conversation concluded, I queried on any final comment or thoughts, where he left me with, "My family and faith has kept me grounded. A quote from my dad that has stuck with me is, 'All gas. No brakes,' which keeps me levelheaded and striving for bigger things."

Tumilty may just be the perfect fit for the NFL's new kickoff rules, which aim to revive the kick return game all while making it safer for the players. If you need any more evidence of Scott's ability and explosiveness after reading this... here he is running 20.7mph on a torn quad.

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