Patrick Mahomes discusses his college football journey, how Kliff Kingsbury’s coaching helped shape his development at Texas Tech, and how that freedom carried into his success with the Kansas City Chiefs. By Emily Curiel
Many professional athletes maintain a bond with their former college.
Then there’s Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech.
The university in Lubbock, Texas may not have a better friend in the sporting world than the three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes, 30, supports the Red Raiders through financial contributions and scholarships and by simply showing up for games.
Texas Tech is a Chiefs sponsor, too, with the university’s advertising appearing on the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium video boards. Inside the football facility at Tech is the “Patrick Mahomes Walkthrough Room.” Other offices at the university are also named for Mahomes.
Why bring this up now?
The relationship between Mahomes’ professional and college teams may never have happened, or be this strong, without the connection he developed with his college coach. That coach, Kliff Kingsbury is now the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, the Chiefs’ upcoming opponent on “Monday Night Football.”
The relationship goes back to Mahomes’ high school days in Whitehouse, Texas. Mahomes, son of major-league pitcher Pat Mahomes Sr., seemed destined for a baseball career.
Kingsbury was among the first to alter that thinking. He recognized Mahomes’ football potential early and Tech was the first and most prominent school to offer Mahomes a scholarship in the sport that would become his calling.
“I didn’t really have anyone believe I was going to be a football player, and then I got (to Tech) and they’re like, ‘You can play baseball and you can play football.’ That kind of empowered me.”
After one season and three games on the baseball team as a freshman, Mahomes decided football was his future. He arrived at that decision with help from Kingsbury, who had also been a record-setting quarterback at Texas Tech.
“I remember when I quit baseball, it was a hard decision for me,” Mahomes said. “He said if you were fully all-in you’d have a chance to get drafted.”
Mahomes became Tech’s full-time starter as a sophomore and lit up scoreboards over his final two seasons, rising from being so lightly recruited out of high school to prime NFL prospect. Mahomes credits Texas Tech and Kingsbury for putting him on the right track.
“He helped me get to where I’m at today because he didn’t put me in a box and tell me how to play quarterback this way,” Mahomes said. “He let me just go out there and be myself and play the way that got me there. I think that’s something that is special about him as a coach.”
In 2017, the Chiefs traded up in the first round to land their quarterback of the future. Mahomes played behind veteran Alex Smith that season, starting just one game (the season finale at Denver) as a rookie.
But Matt Nagy, who served as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator that season before becoming the Chicago Bears’ head coach, knew they were sitting on something special.
“What Kliff did with Pat was use his strengths and just gave him the confidence to be himself,” said Nagy, now back as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. “Just go cut it loose, and it’s OK if you make a mistake.”
The offensive-minded Kingsbury made the jump from Texas Tech to the NFL in 2019, become head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. In that role, he faced Mahomes and the Chiefs in the 2022 season opener. He’s now in his second season on head coach Dan Quinn’s staff with the Commanders and is working with quarterback Jayden Daniels, last season’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Daniels is out for Monday’s game with a hamstring injury, however, so veteran Marcus Mariota will get the start.
Mahomes said he and Kingsbury remain in touch, although not this week — the week their teams clash on MNF. The Chiefs quarterback said he’s not surprised that Washington’s offense over the past two seasons has been the franchise’s best of the last decade.
“He gets the best out of his quarterbacks,” Mahomes said. “They know he cares about them and they know he tries to put them in the best position to succeed.”