Who should be the next Honorary Inductee?


ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 25: Patrick Mahomes II #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders warms up before the game against the Bears on November 25, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas Tech beat Bayer 54-35. (Photo by John West/Getty Images)

In the year Since the Texas Tech Football Ring of Fame was inaugurated at Jones Stadium in 2012, the program has honored seven all-time greats: Donnie Anderson, Dave Parks, EJ Holub, Gabe Rivera, Zach Thomas, Michael Crabtree and Elmer Tarbox. Moreover, the program announced this past weekend that Patrick Mahomes II will become the eighth Red Raider west of Jones.

It’s the latest inductee that’s causing a bit of controversy among some Red Raider fans, though. Some believe that Mahomes, despite being perhaps the most popular and famous Texas Tech alum of all time, did not have a college career worthy of a Ring of Honor spot.

To be clear, Tech does not set any specific criteria for motivation. While some programs require their Ring of Honor members to be first inductees or All-Americans in the College Football Hall of Fame, for example, Tech’s requirements are more concrete.

That’s why Mahomes’ inclusion is worth investigating. On the one hand, college statistics are certainly impressive. In 29 career games as a Red Raider, he passed for 11,252 yards and posted 12,097 yards of total offense while throwing 93 TDs. He ranks third in program history in all three categories behind Graham Harrell and Kliff Kingsbury.

What’s more, he had the most decorated NFL career of any Texas Tech football graduate in history. He won the 2018 NFL MVP award and hoisted the Super Bowl LI MVP trophy.

It’s that professional accomplishment that Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt pointed to when talking about Mahomes’ induction into the Ring of Honor.

“When you look at the face of the NFL, it’s Patrick Mahomes,” Hocutt said. “Patrick’s accomplishments at Texas Tech are well documented as one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history. Patrick is an NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champion, but he is, above all else, a Red Raider who remains a fan of our great university. We look forward to welcoming Patrick and his family back later this fall to see his name officially honored at Jones AT&T Stadium.

On the other hand, Mahomes’ college career lacked such respect. In fact, some would argue that Mahomes didn’t do enough during his Red Raider days to be included in the Ring of Honor.

In the games he started, his teams went just 13-15. Moreover, he only took Tech to one bowl game, which the Red Raiders lost.

However, there is no denying that Tech’s struggles during those three seasons (2014-16) were due to factors beyond Mahomes’ control. In particular, Tech had the worst defense in the nation in 2015 and 2016, resulting in four losses in two seasons in which Mahomes and the offense scored 50 or more points.

Finally, it’s hard to resist putting the face of the NFL in the ring of honor, especially for Texas Tech football as an ambassador for what the program continues to mean. What’s more, there’s no doubt that it’s a smart move to congratulate yourself on the best player on the planet, who is probably on his way to becoming a billionaire before his career is over.

Now, that leaves the question of who should be next to join the Texas Tech Football Ring of Honor. So let’s take a look at four logical candidates for the ninth spot at Jones Stadium.



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