Where did Patrick Mahomes play college football? History and key stats for the Chiefs' QB

One of the biggest NFL stars playing in Super Bowl LIX is Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Few expected Mahomes to turn into a legend when the Chiefs traded up to No. 10 to get him during the 2017 NFL Draft but pairing his physical talent with the brilliant coaching of future Hall of Famer Andy Reid has led to a new dynasty that can become the biggest juggernaut the league has ever seen.

Several teams in need of a long-term answer at quarterback passed on Mahomes in that draft, including the Cleveland Browns (who took All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett with the top pick), the Chicago Bears (who took quarterback Mitch Trubisky in a move that will haunt them for years if Caleb Williams doesn't pan out) and the New York Jets (who took safety Jamal Adams). It is safe to say ignoring Mahomes' college achievements cost those franchises dearly.

Where did Patrick Mahomes play college football?

Mahomes played collegiately at Texas Tech, where he split time between the football and baseball teams for his first two seasons before committing to the gridiron as a junior. Recruiting services rated Mahomes as a three-star prospect coming out of high school and he also had scholarship offers from Rice and Houston, showcasing that he wasn't highly regarded as a high schooler to draw interest from thet op college programs.

The Red Raiders were then coached by future NFL head coach Kliff Kingsbury, whose air raid concepts led Mahomes to produce some explosive passing totals. Mahomes set a Big 12 freshman record by throwing for 598 yards in a loss to Baylor in 2014 while also establishing an FBS record for most yards of total offense in a 66-59 loss to Oklahoma as a junior in 2016, also tying an FBS record for most passing yards in a game (734) in the process.

How did Patrick Mahomes perform in college?

Playing at Texas Tech was a great boon to Mahomes' college stats as the Air Raid offense was designed to boost offensive production. Mahomes completed 63.5 percent of his passes as a collegian, with his percentages increasing from 56.8 percent as a true freshman to 65.7 percent as a junior, his last year before declaring for the draft.

The passing numbers were predictably gaudy as Mahomes finished his collegiate career with 93 touchdowns against 29 interceptions, 11,522 passing yards, 820 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns and a passer rating of 152.0. In an ironic twist of fate, Mahomes' teams went just 13-16 in his 29 collegiate starts, although that can be attributed more to the fact that Texas Tech never had a great defense to pair with Mahomes.

The highlight of Mahomes' collegiate career was his junior year, when he completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 5,052 yards with a 41-to-10 touchdown to interception ratio, adding 12 rushing touchdowns for good measure. That performance helped Mahomes be named Second Team All-Big 12 and earn the Sammy Baugh trophy as the nation's top passer.

Patrick Mahomes' athletic legacy

While Mahomes is widely known for his accomplishments on the football field, he has a tremendous background in baseball in well. This is due in no small part to the fact that his father Pat Mahomes was a successful MLB pitcher for over a decade. As a result, Mahomes grew up in big league clubhouses and has shown an affinity for the New York Mets, the team that helped Mahomes' father reach the World Series in 2000.

That baseball background led Mahomes to play both sports (along with basketball) in high school, leading to buzz he would have been a top MLB draft pick if he hadn't committed to play football at Texas Tech. Mahomes' senior year as a high schooler was particularly special as he threw for 4,619 yards with 50 passing touchdowns along with another 948 rushing yards and another 15 touchdowns for Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas.

As a pitcher, Mahomes' highlight was a no-hitter where he struck out 16 batters for Whitehouse in his senior year. That performance helped Mahomes be named MaxPrep's Male Athlete of the Year for the 2013-14 academic year.

Patrick Mahomes' transition from college to the NFL

There were significant questions about Mahomes' ability to be successful in the NFL since Kingsbury's Air Raid offense featured limited route trees and was designed to get its quarterbacks easy completions. Mahomes helped himself by demonstrating his rare athletic ability at the NFL combine and in pre-draft workouts, catching the eye of notable NFL coaches like Reid and Sean Payton, who was then the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

There has been buzz over the years that Payton was prepared to draft Mahomes to be the successor to Drew Brees with the 11th pick, inspiring the Chiefs to complete a mega trade with the Buffalo Bills to beat them to the punch. Knowing that Mahomes' ability to read and analyze NFL defenses was going to need time to develop, the Chiefs had Mahomes have what amounted to a redshirt year in 2017, where he sat behind Alex Smith and learned how to be an NFL quarterback.

After Kansas City clinched its playoff berth in Week 16, Mahomes got to start the final game of the 2017 regular season against Denver. The Chiefs got a strong performance from Mahomes, who completed 24-of-35 passes for 284 yards to guide Kansas City's backups to a road win over the Broncos, inspiring them to have confidence to hand him the starting job the following year.

Patrick Mahomes' legacy at Texas Tech

Texas Tech looks back fondly at the Mahomes era as the first stop on what will be a legendary football career. While the school hasn't retired Mahomes' number yet, he is a member of the program's Ring of Honor after being inducted in 2022.

Mahomes is also still an active supporter of the Red Raiders' athletic programs, often visiting for football games during Kansas City's bye week and attending men's basketball games during the offseason. When Texas Tech made the Final Four in 2019 Mahomes was frequently showcased in courtside seats and even made the One Shining Moment video to cap the tournament.