Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes may be rivals on the field now, but they actually go way back to their college days at Texas Tech. Yep, you read that right! Before they were tearing it up in the NFL, they were both Red Raiders. Baker, the Bucs QB, started his college journey in 2013, a year before Mahomes, even though he was drafted a year after the 2-time MVP.
Baker recently talked about his early days with Mahomes during an interview with Rich Eisen. He mentioned, “Ya. We are close. Pat’s a great guy. It goes back to when I was still at Texas Tech hosting him on his official visit. Just getting to know the guy as a person and then when I left, you know watching from afar what he has been able to do.” It’s cool to see that their friendship goes way back to their college days.
Patrick Mahomes gets rocked and takes a malicious hit intended to injure him
Can you imagine 18-year-old Baker showing Mahomes around campus? Well, it happened. Baker hosted Mahomes on his visit to Texas Tech when Patrick was considering signing with the team.
Baker joked about their visit, saying, “Ya way back in the day. Young Baker and young Pat. I was 18. You know how official visits go in college when you’re trying to make sure a guy has a good time. You take him to the library and you study test. You have seen Kumbaya.” It’s pretty funny to picture these two future NFL stars hitting the books together.
The unlikely bond of Baker and Patrick
Despite their friendship, Baker did have to bear the brunt of crossing the Red River to play for Oklahoma, while Mahomes stayed with Texas Tech. But hey, it all worked out for both of them in the end. They even faced off on the field a couple of times in college, with Baker coming out on top both times. Remember that crazy 66-59 game? Yeah, both QBs threw for over 1400 yards. That’s just mind-blowing.
It’s clear that Baker and Patrick have a lot of respect for each other, and it’s awesome to see them succeed in the NFL after their college days together. As Baker put it, “It was in college that we first got to know each other as people and as athletes.” It’s pretty cool to see how their paths have crossed from college to the pros.
So, next time you see Baker and Patrick facing off on the field, just remember that their connection goes way beyond their NFL careers. They’re two guys who go way back to their college days and have a lot of mutual respect for each other.
