A ‘turnt’ Patrick Mahomes spoke to Texas Tech’s players before their Final Four win

Patrick Mahomes was right at home Saturday, flexing his biceps and shooting imaginary arrows after big plays inside a NFL stadium packed with 70,000-plus fans.

But on this night, the Chiefs quarterback was a spectator. His alma mater, Texas Tech, was playing in the Final Four for the first time.

Mahomes is seemingly successful in almost every new pursuit — throwing passes under pressure with his off hand, crushing drives at Topgolf, taking swings off godfather and former MLB reliever LaTroy Hawkins. So of course Mahomes’ motivational speech worked, too.

“Riled us up,” Red Raiders senior Norense Odiase said after Tech’s 61-51 victory over Michigan State. “Got us ready....He was excited. You could see him: blood rushing, veins popping.

“He was turnt.”

For Texas Tech coach Chris Beard, Mahomes’ connection with the players is personal. He and Odiase were enrolled at the same time, for example.

“Pat Mahomes is big time,” Beard said Sunday. “It’s not fake, it’s not fluff. He has not forgotten where he comes from.”

“Only problem I have with him is we can’t get him on the Fireside Chat,” Beard added about his video interview series that airs on the Tech basketball website.

Tech sophomore Jarrett Culver grew up in Lubbock and became the Big 12 player of the year for the hometown Red Raiders. Only 40 minutes away from the national title, Culver said he “never would have thought Tech would get to this point.”

Culver was 0-for-6 from the floor in the first half and finished 3-for-12, but his three-pointer with 58 seconds left put Tech up by seven.

“When you got the MVP of the NFL talking to you,” he said Saturday night, “you kind of get confidence.”

Culver said Mahomes’ message was to “go get what you earned.” Mahomes also said nothing would be given to them, so “Go and get it,” freshman Kyler Edwards said. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who also was at the game, joined Mahomes during the pregame meeting with the Red Raiders.

“It’s great to have Pat out here,” Culver said. “All of Lubbock supports him. We have his back and he has our back. Just having him out here is great energy for us and it’s a lot of love out of Pat.”

So much love that Mahomes was left hoarse after Saturday night’s game. But an encore speech before the title game against Virginia doesn’t appear out of the question.

“Voice gone,” Mahomes posted on Twitter, “but will be back by Monday promise that!”

This story was originally published April 6, 2019 at 11:42 PM.