There are many college programs and universities represented at Super Bowl LVII, but the Big 12 will leave a particularly indelible mark on Sunday’s big game. The two starting quarterbacks — Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and young Philadelphia Eagles standout Jalen Hurts — both played in and were drafted out of the Big 12. It marks the first Super Bowl since the game’s inception that both starting signal callers hailed from the Big 12.
Both Mahomes and Hurts were asked about that notion during Super Bowl media days and highlighted the Big 12’s impact on college football as a whole.
“It’s exciting,” Mahomes said. “I mean, you saw TCU in the national championship. It didn’t go their way but the Big 12 was in the national championship and then to have the quarterbacks, not only me and Jalen but Brock (Purdy) in the final four (conference championships), three of the quarterbacks, it shows that we’re continuing to evolve the game. I mean, the Big 12 was running the spread I think before anybody and showcasing how — what it could be like to throw the football and make plays happen with the quarterback position.
Patrick Mahomes explains how Big 12 is ‘continuing to….
So I’m excited. It’s the first time, but I’m sure it won’t be the last time. There are a lot of great Big 12 quarterbacks coming out.”
Unlike Mahomes, Hurts started his career elsewhere. He signed with Alabama out of high school and actually led the Crimson Tide to a national championship appearance in 2017 as a freshman.
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He was benched in the 2018 national championship game and sat behind Tua Tagovailoa during the 2018 season before transferring to Oklahoma.
With the Sooners, he finished second in the Hesiman Trophy voting behind LSU’s Joe Burrow.
“You know, I’ve always had a very high respect for offense in the Big 12 and football in the Big 12 I have respect for,” Hurts said. “The conference definitely grew when I had to play in the conference. You see all the quarterbacks that come through the Big 12 and obviously Pat and myself playing in this game, I think it’s a great representation of the conference.”
Mahomes signed with Texas Tech in 2014 and spent all three of his collegiate years there. He was named a 2016 second-team All-Big 12 selection while leading the FBS with 5,052 passing yards. He also had 41 touchdowns through the air to just 10 interceptions.
The Chiefs selected Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In the six years since, he has won two NFL MVP awards and one Super Bowl MVP while leading the Chiefs to three appearances in the Super Bowl.