The 6’3”, 230-pound former Texas Tech starter, Patrick Mahomes II, broke NCAA and Big 12 records, throwing for 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2016.
The small town quarterback from Tyler, Texas, committed to Texas Tech University in 2014 for baseball and football. Without a doubt, athletic ability ran in the Mahomes family. His father, Pat Mahomes, was a MLB pitcher for 11 years, playing with seven different teams. His father inspired Mahomes to play sports and to work as hard as he could every single day, to be the best player he could be, in whatever sport he played. However, Mahomes didn’t start playing football until he was in 7th grade, which is difficult in the state of Texas since most kids start playing with full pads in the 3rd grade. Although Mahomes came out of high school only as a three-star recruit, he did not let that phase him.
As a true freshman, Mahomes was a backup to Davis Webb. During the 8th game of the season, Webb was injured and Mahomes made his debut as a Red Raider against Oklahoma State. Making a great impression, Mahomes became a starter for the Raiders the last four games of the 2014 season and never looked back.
Prior to the beginning of the 2016 season, Mahomes decided to quit baseball and placed all of his efforts into football. Mahomes broke school records with 734 yards against Oklahoma. Mahomes shocked the nation breaking NCAA, Big 12 and Texas Tech records throughout the season. Whether Texas Tech won or lost, his performance on the field made headlines.
Dreams finally came into play for Patrick Mahomes II, when he announced on January 3rd that he was going to enter the NFL Draft. Little did the Lubbock community know that Patrick Mahomes II would be projected as a first round draft pick. ESPN’s “Gruden’s QB Camp” featured Patrick Mahomes on March 20th, discussing his successes at Texas Tech, his father playing in the MLB and his love for Football. Watching film, Jon Gruden was blown away by Mahomes’ arm and the confidence he had on the football field. Although Mahomes grew up around baseball and believed he would be a professional baseball player, he said he didn’t know what love was until football.
In the 2017 NFL Draft, The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select Mahomes 10th overall in the draft. Playing as back-up for the entire 2017-2018 season, Mahomes continued to work hard behind starter, Alex Smith. Smith started the season 5-0 as the Chiefs starter, giving Kansas City the best start of any team in the NFL 2017-2018 season. The Chiefs finished the season 10-6, barley making the playoffs and then going on to lose their only playoff game. In the last game of the regular season, Mahomes made his debut in the NFL, throwing for 284 yards against the Denver Broncos and winning 27-24.
With the Chiefs trade of Alex Smith to the Redskins with in January, Patrick Mahomes will be the starting Quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs for the next four years with his $16.4 million contract.
Patrick Mahomes II made a name for himself and impacted Texas Tech forever. He inspires small town athletes and people around him. He impacted the lives of students, professors and his teammates in Lubbock. He left the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team better than when he found it. This is just the beginning for the 22-year-old football star, who has the potential to make history in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is ready to continue to show the world his unique talents on and off the football field.
Wreck ‘Em!
