Patrick Mahomes: College football career, stats, highlights, records

Patrick Mahomes won the 2018 and 2022 NFL MVP award and three Super Bowls, making him one of the biggest stars in the sport — all before the age of 30. Yet, before he was an NFL MVP, Mahomes was putting up record-breaking passing numbers at Texas Tech.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mahomes’ college career.

The vitals on Patrick Mahomes

School: Texas Tech
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-3
Weight: 230 pounds
Years active: 2014-16

Here are Patrick Mahomes’ career stats in college. Scroll to the right to view the complete stats.

Where did Patrick Mahomes go to college?

Patrick Mahomes attended Texas Tech, choosing the Red Raiders over offers from Oklahoma State and Rice.

What kind of prospect was Patrick Mahomes in high school?

Mahomes was ranked as the No. 398 prospect in the 2014 recruiting class, per 247Sports, which placed him as the No. 29 pro-style quarterback prospect and the No. 82 player in the state of Texas.

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What was Patrick Mahomes’ record in college?

Patrick Mahomes’ Red Raiders went 13-19. His best season in Lubbock came in 2015, where Texas Tech went 7-5 in the regular season.

Records set by Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes’ name appears in the FBS record book 22 times.

• Most yards gained (game): 734 yards vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 22, 2016
• Most passing yards by two opposing players (passing): 1,279 yards — Patrick Mahomes (734) and Baker Mayfield (545), Oct. 22, 2016
• Most yards gained by two opposing players (total): 1,383 yards — Patrick Mahomes (819) and Baker Mayfield (564), Oct. 22, 2016
• Most plays (game): 100 vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 22, 2016 (88 passes, 12 rushes)
• Most yards gained (game): 819 yards vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 22, 2016 (734 passing, 85 rushing)
• Most yards gained against one opponent (career per game): 553.0 vs. Baylor
• 2015 FBS leader in total offense: 5,109 yards
• 2016 FBS leader in total offense: 5,312 yards
• 2nd in single-game pass attempts: 88 attempts vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 22, 2016
• 3rd in career passing yards per game: 351.6 yards/game, 2014-16
• 3rd, 23rd in total yards per game: 442.7 yards/game (2016), 393.0 yards/game (2015)
• 4th in total yards per game (career): 377.3 yards/game
• 8th in season passing yards per game: 421.0 passing yards/game, 2016
• 9th in season passing yards: 5,312 passing yards
• T-9th in single-game completions: 52 completions vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 22, 2016
• T-11th in single-game total offense: 625 yards vs. Baylor (598 passing, 27 rushing)
• 14th in passing yards in a season: 5,052 yards, 2016
• T-21st in single-game passing yards: 598 yards vs. Baylor, Nov. 29, 2014
• 22nd in total offense in a season: 5,109 yards (4,653 passing yards, 456 rushing yards)

CHAMPS: Complete national championship history for the FBS

What were some of Patrick Mahomes’ best games in college?

Baylor 54, Texas Tech 35 | Nov. 25, 2016

Patrick Mahomes’ breakout game came in the Red Raiders’ regular-season finale during his freshman season. In a loss to Baylor, Mahomes completed 30-of-56 passes for 598 yards and six touchdowns. He had thrown for 949 yards in his previous six games and threw for 63% of that total in that one game. “Patrick Mahomes set a Big 12 freshman record with 598 yards passing and threw for six TDs in a 48-46 loss to No. 5 Baylor,” the Herald and Review reported.

Texas Tech 66, Iowa State 31 | Nov. 19, 2016

Mahomes built off his last three games as a freshman and threw for at least 320 yards in each game as a sophomore. Also, he threw for at least 300 yards 10 times in 13 games, including four 400-yard games. Against Iowa State, the super sophomore completed 33-of-46, or 71.7 percent, of his passes for 428 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

“The Red Raiders lived up to their fast-scoring, run-and-gun reputation by tallying a school-record 776 yards of total offense (515 passing, 261 rushing),” wrote The Des Moines Register’s Tommy Birch. “Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 33 of 46 passes for 428 yards and five touchdowns.

“‘He’s a mighty fine quarterback,'” (Iowa State coach Paul) Rhoads said.”

Oklahoma State 70, Texas Tech 53 | Oct. 31, 2015

Three weeks later in a loss to Oklahoma State, Mahomes was 38-for-55 for 480 yards, with four touchdowns and two interception. Mahomes completed 33-of-42 passes against Kansas State for 384 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in mid-November. 

“Texas Tech locked up a spot in a bowl with a 59-44 win over Kansas State on senior day in Lubbock,” the Austin American-Statesman reported. “Patrick Mahomes completed 33 of 42 passes for 384 yards to lift the Red Raiders (6-5, 3-5 Big 12). It’s definite progress over a year ago, when Tech slid to 4-8.”

Mahomes’ already-impressive stats became record-breaking as a junior, when he had four games with at least 500 passing yards, including a single-game FBS record 734 yards against Oklahoma. Playing against Oklahoma and future Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Baker Mayfield, Mahomes and Mayfield combined for 1,279 passing yards in the game, while Mahomes also set records for most plays in a game (100) and total yards gained (819).

Mahomes had seven total touchdowns in the game — five passing and two rushing — and his 85 rushing yards were a single-game career-high in college.

In his final college game, Patrick Mahomes threw for 586 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions against Baylor, earning a 215.3 passer rating— the second-highest of his college career.

What awards did Patrick Mahomes win in college?

• 2016 Sammy Baugh Trophy winner
• 2016 Second Team All-Big 12
• 2015 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
• 2014 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
• 2014 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year
• Six-team Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week

What did people say about Patrick Mahomes?

Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY: “In an era when personalized quarterback development has become commonplace, Mahomes never had a private coach and never attended the quarterback-only camps that have become a ubiquitous part of a recruit’s offseason schedule. He didn’t play football until middle school, then as a safety, and didn’t take over at quarterback until the third game of his junior year.”

Former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury after Mahomes became the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2014: “Patrick is a tremendous athlete. He can extend plays and throw it downfield. He’s so young, so it’s not always pretty, but I think he has a knack for making plays … It all moved very fast for him. He has to grow up quickly.”

Kingsbury: “There’s no guru; there’s no camps. He’s just a natural thrower.”

Kevin Lyttle of the Austin American-Statesman: “And when (Davis) Webb injured his left shoulder last week, freshman Patrick Mahomes became the only healthy scholarship quarterback on the roster. In an ideal world, Mahomes, who was a three-star recruit from Whitehall in East Texas, would have redshirted. Instead, he’s likely to be the man when Tech visits Kansas State on Saturday.”

Kingsbury after Mahomes led Texas Tech on a game-winning 75-yard drive to beat Iowa State 34-31: “He’s got a lot of competitive spirit. He always thinks he’s going to win and he thinks he’s the best player every time he goes out there.”

Former Texas Tech teammate Devin Lauderdale: “Patrick has been showing up and … has been stepping up as a leader even though he is young. We have been getting closer and closer every day. We have been working on our timing and he tells me what he likes and what he doesn’t like.”

Former Texas Tech teammate DeAndre Washington: “He’s far from a traditional quarterback. He’s his own guy.”

Former offensive coordinator Eric Morris: “He’s pretty special. It’s fun to watch him create these plays and find people downfield. How accurate he throws the ball on the run is what’s really remarkable to me.”