Matt Derrick - Patrick Mahomes: Showtime

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Athletic Destiny

Watching Patrick Mahomes II throw a football, its unimaginable to believe he could have become anything other than an NFL quarterback.

He was all of five years old when he realized the extraordinary gift within his right arm. He played in a tee-ball league with kids two years older than him. One day a ground ball came his way at shortstop, and he moved to make the play.

I threw the ball and hit the kid straight in the face and I realized Im throwing a little harder than these other kids and Ive got to kind of slow it down, Mahomes said. Thats probably when I realized it.

His mother, Randi, believed her son certainly predestined as a professional athlete, but until his junior year of high school in 2012, it seemed baseball would be his true calling.

I knew hed be a professional athlete when he was seven, Randi Mahomes told the Kansas City Star . Im serious. There was never a question to him, and I knew he had the talent.

Patrick doesnt remember his earliest moments of athleticism, but hes heard the tales from both his mother and father, Pat.

Theyve told me stories. I cant remember all of it, but I mean, when I was younger I was always wanting to play sports, always wanting to be doing something. I remember my dad and my mom always telling me theyd be half asleep and Id be sitting up and they would have to throw it back and I would get it and run around the room and get the ball, give it back to them and theyd throw it again, and thats just how it was when I was younger.

Young Patrick seemingly played every sport as a child, but baseball was his first love, and it makes sense. His father spent 11 seasons in the major leagues. He was in his fourth season with the Minnesota Twins when Randi gave birth to their first son on September 17, 1995. They named him Patrick Mahomes II.

Whitehouse High School quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambles against the Carthage Bulldogs, Friday, September 27, 2013, in Whitehouse, Texas.

As a kid, Patrick lived experiences of which most young people can only dream. He prowled the field during the World Series with Derek Jeter. He received batting tips from Alex Rodriguez. Patrick grew up around professional locker rooms, giving him critical insight into how good players become great.

For me, my favorite player growing up was Alex Rodriguez, Patrick said. And I remember when [my dad] was on the Rangers, playing with Alex, and how hard Alex worked. That really stuck with me. You see him hitting off the tee for hours. And youre like, Man, you are hitting home runs every single game. Why are you hitting on the tee for two or three hours? That is just stuff you see and you remember as a kid and it sticks with you.

Many thought football was Patricks third-best sport. He won the MaxPreps male athlete of the year award for the 201314 school year, more so for baseball and basketball than football. He averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game during his senior basketball season, earning all-state honors and the All-East Texas Most Valuable Player Award.

New York Mets pitcher Mike Hampton and Patrick Mahomes II both try and catch a ball during practice at Shea Stadium, Monday, October 23, 2000, in New York.

Of course, he excelled in baseball, hitting nearly .500 his senior season as a center fielder and dominating on the mound with a fastball in the mid-90s. During a playoff game against Mount Pleasant, he fired a no-hitter, besting future first-round draft pick Michael Kopech, who made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2018. In a previous doubleheader, Patrick threw a no-hitter in the opener, then went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run, a double, and three runs batted in during the nightcap. The Detroit Tigers selected him in the 37 th round of the MLB draft.

But Patrick put up spectacular football stats as well. Whitehouse High School ran an air raid offense, so he had the opportunity to throw the ball with reckless abandon. He completed 287-of-495 passes as a senior for 4,619 yards and 50 touchdowns. He passed for 619 yards in a 6560 loss in the state playoffs.

Rivals.com rated him as only the 49 th -best prospect in the state of Texas his senior year of high school, a run-of-the-mill, three-star, dual-threat quarterback. He didnt have many colleges coming out of the woodwork in recruiting him. Many thought he would choose baseball as a full-time sport and didnt love football as much. Texas recruited him as a safety, a thought which completely turned off Patrick.

Patrick Mahomes holds his award as the Texas Associated Press Sports Editors football player of the year alongside Whitehouse High School football coach Adam Cook, Friday, December 20, 2013, in Whitehouse, Texas.

His three-sport high school career also turned off college recruiters. Not only did coaches and recruiters believe him ticketed for baseball at either the college or professional level, he didnt play on the all-star circuits out of season, where players make their names. But Patrick preferred playing all three sports.

Me, personally, as I look at this, the more sports you can play, I really think that helps in the transition into whatever sport you choose, Patrick said. It is the mechanics of the body, the coordination, the balance, the quickness, they all interact with each other. It makes you a better player whatever sport you do choose.

On April 21, 2013, before his senior season at Whitehouse, Mahomes committed to play football at Texas Tech.

Texas Tech Raider & Choosing a New Path

Patrick Mahomes arrived at Texas Tech as the backup behind sophomore starter Davis Webb. But at one point his decision to become a Red Raider looked disastrous.

After he had committed to Texas Tech, true walk-on freshman Baker Mayfield won the starting job for the Red Raiders and turned in a dazzling season. He won the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year Award, and suddenly it appeared Mahomes would arrive on campus buried as the No. 3 quarterback.

But a falling out between Mayfield and the Red Raiders coaching staff led to his transferring out of the program. That opened the door for Mahomes to claim the No. 2 spot.

Mahomes saw his first action in the fourth game of the season against No. 24 Oklahoma State, after a shoulder injury knocked Webb out of the game. Mahomes completed 2-of-5 passes for 40 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 4535 loss. He later saw mop-up duty in blowout losses to Kansas State (4513) and TCU (8227).

But Webb suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Texas on November 1, and Mahomes stepped in for good. He started the final three games of the season, including a 3525 win at Iowa State in which he threw for 328 yards and four touchdowns. In a 5630 season-ending loss to Baylor, Mahomes threw for a staggering 598 yards and six touchdowns.