Not only did Tommy Tuberville not coach Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech, but he also didn’t recruit him.
But that hasn’t stopped the Republican Senator from Alabama from implying otherwise, despite numerous debunkings to the contrary. President Donald Trump perpetrated that false claim by saying Wednesday that Tuberville, who left Lubbock for the University of Cincinnati following the 2012 season, had coached Mahomes in college.
Of course, Mahomes arrived at Texas Tech in 2014. This conversation is again at the forefront not only because the Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl but also because Tuberville was front and center for Trump’s signing of an executive order Wednesday banning transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
Trump praises Tommy Tuberville for doing a great job as Patrick Mahomes’s college coach, despite the fact he never coached Mahomes pic.twitter.com/44Y7YMeSXU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2025
Instead of correcting Trump, Tuberville leaned into the lie.
To quote the great George Costanza, “Remember, it’s not a lie if you believe it.”
Megyn Kelly interviewed Tuberville on Wednesday evening and didn’t even bother to fact-check if Tuberville had actually coached Mahomes. Instead, she asked Tuberville, since he coached Mahomes (he did not) if he planned to root for Kansas City this Sunday in New Orleans.
Tuberville admitted that he didn’t coach Mahomes, but claimed he recruited him and then left for Cincinnati.
“Well, I never even coached ’em,” Tuberville informed 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. He’s not just a good athlete; he’s a very good example for a lot of our young youth across this country…”
As a coach, you start recruiting and working with players years before they get to college.
Patrick Mahomes was one of the best players I ever had the opportunity to recruit and get to know.
Looking forward to cheering him on this weekend when I join President Trump at the… pic.twitter.com/vbX9bLs1nj
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) February 6, 2025
Despite being a New York Giants fan, Kelly will be rooting for the Eagles.
That absurdity aside, Tuberville recruiting Mahomes never happened — another falsehood.
According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, then-Texas A&M offensive line coach B.J. Anderson brought Mahomes’ film to the Aggies offensive coordinator at the time, Kliff Kingsbury. The former Texas Tech quarterback took the head coaching position at his alma mater, effectively replacing Tuberville.
Texas Tech did not offer Mahomes until Kingsbury took over in Lubbock.
He wasn’t on anyone else’s radar — not even Tuberville’s.
“He did not recruit me at the time,” Mahomes said Thursday via The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Gabriela Carroll. “I don’t remember if I ever got to meet him or not.”
The record has not been set straight by Tuberville, but don’t worry; the community notes have come in handy.
But hey, why let facts get in the way of a good story — especially when there’s an audience willing to believe it?
