Part of the reason that Patrick Mahomes took junior college classes while he was in high school was so that he could complete his degree early if he was drafted into the MLB or NFL. As his mother told Tyler Today in 2015, if Mahomes did not enter the NFL after his junior year at Texas Tech University then he was going to work on his master’s degree. As is well-documented, Mahomes was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, but a lesser-known fact is that despite his impressive GPA, the quarterback never completed his degree.
Mahomes spoke about his lack of a diploma when responding to some fans’ posts on X, formerly Twitter, for Complex in April. “I have not graduated yet. I’m 15 hours short,” the Chiefs star said in a clip posted to Instagram. Mahomes, who has a tight friendship with Travis Kelce off the field, said he was motivated by his teammate. “If Travis got his diploma, I’ve got to find a way to get my diploma from Texas Tech. I did way more classes than he did. My mom’s gonna be pissed if I don’t,” he added.
A lack of a degree did not get in the way of Texas Tech inviting the Super Bowl champion to address the spring 2020 graduating class, per Texas Tech Today. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the address was given virtually. It was not the only time the former student-athlete standout addressed a class.
