Breaking News: Patrick Mahomes Pushes for Texas Tech Defensive Star to Get Heisman Recognition…see more

Patrick Mahomes put up gaudy numbers during his time at Texas Tech, but he never received a vote for the Heisman Trophy.

No Red Raider has ever won college football’s biggest award, and you have to go back to 2008 to find any of the program’s stars who received a vote. That year, Graham Harrell finished fourth behind Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow, earning 13 first-place votes.

His top receiver Michael Crabtree finished fifth. Following a 29–7 statement win over previously undefeated BYU, Mahomes was ready to amplify the growing calls from Lubbock for Rodriguez to suit up and head to New York in a few weeks. It was another standout week for Rodriguez, as the stats above show.

On the year he now has 91 total tackles (9.5 for loss), three interceptions, a whopping seven forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries and one touchdown which was scored off of a fumble recovery in the Red Raiders’ 42–0 win over Oklahoma State. The Heisman has largely become a quarterback award, with the occasional running back or very occasional wide receiver earning the honor.

Last year shook things up as Travis Hunter—a two-way receiver and cornerback—broke through, but it was because of that historic versatility that he was able to upset the apple cart. The last defense-only player to make his way to New York for the ceremony was Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson in 2021, a distant second-place finisher to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

Crimson Tide linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis also earned votes that year, a unique one for the award.