Patrick Mahomes debunks Tommy Tuberville recruiting claim

The 3-time Super Bowl champion doesn't remember things the way Tommy Tuberville does.

Patrick Mahomes remembers things a little differently than Tommy Tuberville when it comes to who recruited who. / USA TODAY

Patrick Mahomes remembers things a little differently than Tommy Tuberville after the former college football coach and current U.S. Senator hinted that he played a role in recruiting the quarterback to Texas Tech.

Tuberville told Megyn Kelly that he recruited and befriended Mahomes, but the Chiefs quarterback doesn’t quite recall ever making the coach’s acquaintance.

“He did not recruit me at the time,” Mahomes told reporters ahead of the Super Bowl. “I don’t remember if I ever got to meet him or not.”

Tuberville did, in fact, coach the Texas Tech football program, but that was over just two seasons from 2010 to 2012.

Mahomes’ first season with the Red Raiders didn’t come until 2014, during which the quarterback played under Tuberville’s replacement, head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

President Donald J. Trump first linked the two when he mistakenly claimed that Tuberville had coached Mahomes at Texas Tech despite the two never crossing paths there.

Tuberville then sought to correct the record in his interview with Kelly.

“What happened is I recruited him, and then I left and went to another school, but I got to be very good friends with him,” Tuberville said.

He added: “He’s not just a good athlete. He’s a very good example for a lot of our young youth across this country.”

Tuberville reiterated the claim in an X post saying, “Patrick Mahomes was one of the best players I ever had the opportunity to recruit and get to know.”

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