Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL. He’s synonymous with greatness, explosive playmaking, and exemplary quarterback play. But before becoming a superstar for the Kansas City Chiefs, Mahomes was just another high-upside NFL Draft prospect coming out of college. Where did Mahomes play before reaching the heights of NFL stardom, and how did he get to where he is now?
Where did Patrick Mahomes play college football?
Mahomes was designated a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He received offers from Oklahoma State and Rice but ultimately committed to Texas Tech. During his freshman year, he split time with the Red Raiders baseball team while appearing in seven football games in relief of then-starter Davis Webb, who battled injuries that season. In the marquee performance of his first collegiate season, Mahomes threw for a Big 12 freshman record 598 yards against Baylor on top of six touchdowns. He finished the year with 1,547 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Mahomes took over as the full-time starter in 2015 during his sophomore year. He led Texas Tech to a 7-6 record and was one of the conference’s best quarterbacks. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s “Air Raid” offense helped Mahomes put up extremely productive numbers, as he surpassed 350 yards passing in 10 games and threw for a total of 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns on the season.
Heading into his junior year, Mahomes was firmly on the NFL Draft radar as one of the nation’s highest-upside prospects. His wildly productive final collegiate season helped cement his status as one of the draft’s top quarterbacks. In 12 games, Mahomes managed to throw for a whopping 5,052 yards and 41 touchdowns while lowering his interception total to just 10 on the year.
He was widely considered one of the top three quarterback prospects alongside North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. After the Chicago Bears traded up for Trubisky and selected him with the second overall pick, Kansas City jumped all the way up from pick No. 27 to No. 10 (just ahead of the New Orleans Saints) to snag Mahomes — and the rest is history.
It turns out the Saints, drafting from pick No. 11, were also keyed in on Mahomes as a potential heir apparent to Drew Brees, meaning the Chiefs moved up just in time to select their future star. It’s probably safe to say Kansas City made the right call.