Red Raiders fans will likely remember the Patrick Mahomes era fondly now, especially given his NFL superstar status. Texas Tech may not have won a ton of games with Mahomes at quarterback (2013-2019) and head coach Kliff Kingsbury calling plays, but it sure was fun to watch. Now the once dynamic duo is set for a reunion of sorts. The Kingsbury-coached Arizona Cardinals will open up their season against Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, Sept. 11.
The name ‘Patrick Mahomes’ comes up in the NCAA record books 22 times, including next to “Most Passing Yards in a Single Game” with the number 734 etched proudly beside it. Despite the video game numbers that Mahomes put up, he was still considered a mid-round prospect and Kingsbury says he tried to keep him in Lubbock, TX for one more year.
“The NFL (was) telling him he’s just gonna go second round or later,” said Kingsbury to reporters leading up to his reunion with Mahomes. “So I tried to convince him to come back to school.”
It seems that Mahomes might have foreseen a different outcome because he declared for the NFL Draft anyway and the gamble paid off when he was selected tenth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s since gone on to win an MVP award and a Super Bowl. Kingsbury says he always knew success was in the cards for his young gunslinger.
“Once I got around him, got to know him, worked with him at football camps, you could just tell he had some special ability,” reminisced Kingsbury. “I’m just really proud of the person more than anything, just watching how he’s grown up.”
The two remain close and are even members of a Texas Tech group chat with some other former players and coaches. They’ve got a tumultuous NFL schedule ahead of them, but you can be sure that these Red Raiders will be keeping an eye on their alma mater this fall.
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