Patrick Mahomes: From Red Raider to NFL Superstar - The College Years
Patrick Mahomes has become a household name in the NFL, winning the 2018 and 2022 NFL MVP awards and three Super Bowls before the age of 30. His journey to becoming one of the sport's biggest stars began during his college years at Texas Tech University. While his time with the Red Raiders didn't translate into overwhelming team success, it was a period of explosive individual performances and record-breaking statistics that hinted at the greatness to come.
Early Years and Recruitment
Mahomes wasn't always considered a top prospect. According to 247Sports, he was ranked as the No. 398 prospect in the 2014 recruiting class, placing him as the No. 29 pro-style quarterback prospect. Despite not being a highly touted recruit, Mahomes possessed exceptional athletic ability and a strong arm, which caught the attention of Texas Tech's coaching staff. Unlike many modern quarterbacks, Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY noted that Mahomes "never had a private coach and never attended the quarterback-only camps that have become a ubiquitous part of a recruit's offseason schedule."
Freshman Season: A Glimpse of Potential
Mahomes entered his freshman season at Texas Tech as a backup to Davis Webb. He saw his first career action in the fourth game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys after Webb left the game with an injury, completing two of five passes for 20 yards for one touchdown and an interception. After Webb was again injured, Mahomes started his first career game against the Texas Longhorns. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 109 yards in the 34-13 loss. Mahomes remained the starter for the season's final three games.
His breakout game came in the Red Raiders' regular-season finale against Baylor. In a loss to Baylor, Mahomes completed 30-of-56 passes for 598 yards and six touchdowns. He had thrown for 949 yards in his previous six games and threw for 63% of that total in that one game. "Patrick Mahomes set a Big 12 freshman record with 598 yards passing and threw for six TDs in a 48-46 loss to No.
Sophomore Surge: Establishing Dominance
Mahomes began his sophomore season at Texas Tech as the starting quarterback. Mahomes helped lead the Red Raiders to a 7-6 season with numerous productive outings throughout the season. Mahomes built off his last three games as a freshman and threw for at least 320 yards in each game as a sophomore. Also, he threw for at least 300 yards 10 times in 13 games, including four 400-yard games. "The Red Raiders lived up to their fast-scoring, run-and-gun reputation by tallying a school-record 776 yards of total offense (515 passing, 261 rushing)," wrote The Des Moines Register's Tommy Birch. Three weeks later in a loss to Oklahoma State, Mahomes was 38-for-55 for 480 yards, with four touchdowns and two interception. "Texas Tech locked up a spot in a bowl with a 59-44 win over Kansas State on senior day in Lubbock," the Austin American-Statesman reported. "Patrick Mahomes completed 33 of 42 passes for 384 yards to lift the Red Raiders (6-5, 3-5 Big 12).
Read also: Your Guide to Nursing Internships
Junior Year: Record-Breaking Performances
Mahomes' already-impressive stats became record-breaking as a junior, when he had four games with at least 500 passing yards, including a single-game FBS record 734 yards against Oklahoma. Mahomes had a very productive junior season. In the month of September alone, Mahomes passed for 18 touchdowns to three interceptions while rushing for four touchdowns. He averaged 442.5 passing yards per game that month, which included a 540-yard game against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Red Raiders' second game. Mahomes started the month of October with 504 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and three rushing touchdowns in a losing effort to the Kansas State Wildcats. On October 22, Mahomes set multiple NCAA, Big 12, and school records in a 66-59 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners at home. Mahomes broke the NCAA FBS records for single-game total offense with 819 yards. He tied the NCAA record for single game passing yards with 734. He fell one short of the record for most attempts at 88. Playing against Oklahoma and future Heisman Trophy winner and No. Overall, the game set NCAA records for most combined yards of total offense with 1,708 combined passing yards, and total offense by two players (the other was Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield). The 125 combined points are the second most all time involving a ranked team. Following the Oklahoma game, the Red Raiders defeated the TCU Horned Frogs before dropping three consecutive games to finish outside bowl eligibility with a 5-7 record. Mahomes finished the season leading the country in yards per game (421), passing yards (5,052), total offense (5,312), points responsible for (318), and total touchdowns (53). For his performance, he was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy, given annually to the nation's top college passer, joining head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Graham Harrell, and B. J.
Statistical Achievements and Records
Patrick Mahomes' college career was filled with remarkable statistical achievements and records, including:
- Most yards gained (game): 819 yards vs. Oklahoma
- Most passing yards (game): 734 yards vs. Oklahoma
- Most plays (game): 100 vs. Oklahoma
- Most yards gained against one opponent (career per game): 553.0 vs. Oklahoma
- Most passing yards by two opposing players (passing): 1,279 yards - Patrick Mahomes (734) and Baker Mayfield (545), Oct.
- Most yards gained by two opposing players (total): 1,383 yards - Patrick Mahomes (819) and Baker Mayfield (564), Oct.
- 2nd in single-game pass attempts: 88 attempts vs. Oklahoma
- T-9th in single-game completions: 52 completions vs. Oklahoma
- T-11th in single-game total offense: 625 yards vs. Baylor
- T-21st in single-game passing yards: 598 yards vs. Baylor
- Big 12 freshman record with 598 yards passing
Impact and Legacy at Texas Tech
Despite the team's overall struggles, Mahomes left a lasting impact on the Texas Tech program. His exciting style of play and record-breaking performances revitalized the Red Raiders' offense and captured the attention of fans nationwide. His college coach Kliff Kingsbury after Mahomes became the Red Raiders' starting quarterback in 2014: "Patrick is a tremendous athlete. He can extend plays and throw it downfield. He's so young, so it's not always pretty, but I think he has a knack for making plays … It all moved very fast for him. Kingsbury after Mahomes led Texas Tech on a game-winning 75-yard drive to beat Iowa State 34-31: "He's got a lot of competitive spirit. Former Texas Tech teammate Devin Lauderdale: "Patrick has been showing up and … has been stepping up as a leader even though he is young. We have been getting closer and closer every day. Former Texas Tech teammate DeAndre Washington: "He's far from a traditional quarterback. Former offensive coordinator Eric Morris: "He's pretty special. It's fun to watch him create these plays and find people downfield.
NFL Draft and Early Career
Mahomes was projected to be a first or second round pick by the majority of analysts and scouts. During the throwing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine, his passes were clocked at 60 mph, tying Logan Thomas and Bryan Bennett for the fastest pass ever recorded there. Mahomes was ranked second best quarterback by SI.com, third by ESPN, and fourth by NFLDraftScout.com. Representatives from 28 NFL teams attended his pro day at Texas Tech. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mahomes in the first round (10th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. The Chiefs, originally slated to have the 27th overall selection, traded up in the draft with the Buffalo Bills for the 10th overall selection. He spent his rookie season as the backup to Alex Smith.
NFL Breakthrough and Super Bowl Success
In 2018, after the Chiefs traded Smith, Mahomes became the starter and threw for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He became the first quarterback to achieve over 5,000 passing yards in both college and the NFL, and joined Peyton Manning as the only players to record 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in an NFL season. In the 2019 season, Mahomes led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl in 50 years, winning Super Bowl LIV. Mahomes was awarded the Super Bowl MVP for his performance, becoming the youngest quarterback and the second Black quarterback to earn the honor. In 2020, Mahomes signed a 10-year contract extension worth over $450 million, making it one of the largest contracts in sports history. That season, the Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl but lost in Super Bowl LV. In the 2022 season, Mahomes led the league in passing yards and touchdowns, won NFL MVP, and earned Super Bowl MVP after winning Super Bowl LVII. He won his third Super Bowl MVP after winning Super Bowl LVIII the following year, leading the Chiefs to back-to-back titles.
Read also: The Return of College Football Gaming
Read also: Transfer pathways after community college
tags: #Patrick #Mahomes #college
