Being named NFL MVP in 2018 and leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl championship last season did more than get Patrick Mahomes in the discussion as one of the great quarterbacks of his era.
It also landed him a gig as the commencement speaker at Texas Tech‘s virtual graduation ceremony on May 23, which will be livestreamed.
“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.
“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.”
We’ve got the MVP of commencement speakers next Saturday. ?
#TTUGrad | @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/gnd5Vyv2YY— Texas Tech University (@TexasTech) May 15, 2020
Mahomes will address the graduates along with two students receiving their degrees. Graduation ceremonies, which are normally held at the university’s basketball arena, were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mahomes was a quarterback at Texas Tech from 2014 through 2016 before he entered the NFL draft and was selected by the Chiefs in the first round in 2017. He also played briefly for the school’s baseball team. Since leaving Texas Tech, he has been a supporter of the Red Raiders in all sports and went to Minneapolis last year to watch the men’s basketball team in the Final Four.
Alex Smith gave the commencement address at his alma mater, Utah, in 2014 when he quarterbacked the Chiefs.
Earlier this month, twin brothers Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, who both play for the Seattle Seahawks, delivered the commencement speech to the Class of 2020 for the virtual graduation ceremony at Central Florida.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
