WATCH: When Kansas City Chief's star Patrick Mahomes was a 3-star high school recruit

By Aman Sharma

Modified Sep 07, 2024 18:20 GMT

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Before Patrick Mahomes became a two-time MVP and Super Bowl champion, he was just a three-star recruit from Whitehouse High School in Texas. Unlike today’s highly touted quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence or Arch Manning, Mahomes was relatively overlooked, ranking as one of the top 40 dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation according to Rivals.com.

His three-star rating is now baffling when considering the quarterback he’s become.

Mahomes already manifested his athletic prowess during his high school years. He flagshipped the junior level with 3,839-yard passes and 46 touchdowns. He even raised the bar in his senior year by making 4519 passing yards and 50 touchdowns, in addition to the 948 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. His burning demonstrations won him the respected MaxPreps National Male Athlete of the Year award in 2013–2014.

Despite these stats, Mahomes didn’t receive widespread attention from major colleges. His only scholarship offers came from Texas Tech, Rice, and Houston—no major Division I programs outside of Texas showed interest. He ultimately committed to Texas Tech in January 2013, ranked as the 22nd quarterback in the nation and 50th overall player in Texas, per 247 Sports Composite rankings.

Mahomes had already secured the starting quarterback position in his sophomore year at Texas Tech, and by his junior year, he had thrown for over 5,000 yards. His dynamic play style, breaking away from the common quarterbacking patterns, primarily brought him under bet NFL Scouts. The Kansas City Chiefs chose Mahomes with the tenth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Patrick Mahomes breaks Chiefs franchise record for passing yards in season opener

In the 2024 season opener for the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes not only conquered the Baltimore Ravens by 27-20 but also surpassed the franchise's previous record of touchdown yards. In the second quarter, he delivered a crucial 23-yard pass to Travis Kelce where he went beyond football greats such as Len Dawson on the all-time leaderboard.

Mahomes made the record-breaking throw, evading pressure and connecting with Kelce at the 35-yard line before he was tackled at the 30. Mahomes achieved this milestone in five fewer seasons and significantly fewer games than Dawson. The moment was even more special as Kelce was on the receiving end.

Alex Smith, who was traded to make way for Mahomes as the starter, praised his successor.

"You make us all proud both on and off the field. From the very beginning, we all know you were going to take this franchise to new heights and that’s exactly what you’ve done. Keep doing what you’re doing man, I’m so proud and beyond happy for everything you’ve accomplished," he told Mirror.

The starters of the season opener, in 28 Mahomes completed 20 passes for 291 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His pass completion rate is at 71.4%. He has a passer rating of 101.9 and is starting another as the promising season spectacle.