Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes will deliver a virtual commencement address for Texas Tech
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes already has league MVP and Super Bowl MVP trophies among his growing inventory of accomplishments.
The 24-year-old Mahomes can now add college commencement speaker to the list.
Texas Tech announced Friday afternoon that Mahomes, who played in Lubbock from 2014 to 2016 before leaving a year early for the 2017 NFL Draft, will be among three speakers to address graduates during a virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 23.
“Patrick’s story and his rise to stardom, both here at Texas Tech and in the NFL, have been a great source of pride for Red Raiders and an inspiration for thousands,” Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said in a statement released by the school. “During that rise, Patrick has never wavered from the lessons learned from his family, coaches and his time as a student-athlete at Texas Tech, displaying class, humility and a competitive fire to be the best. We are very pleased and grateful that he will address our May 2020 graduates who have persevered in spite of unique challenges to earn their degrees.”
During his college career at Texas Tech, Mahomes passed for 11,252 and 93 touchdowns, adding 845 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns on 308 attempts before foregoing his final year of college eligibility to enter the NFL. The Chiefs traded up in the first round of the 2017 draft and selected Mahomes with the 10th overall pick.
Mahomes will become the second Chiefs quarterback to deliver a commencement address in the past decade. Former Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith spoke to Utah graduates in 2014. Like Mahomes, Smith left college after his junior season and was drafted No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005.
