Texas Tech basketball: Pat Mahomes, others reach out to top transfer target

After transfer guard Mac McClung included the Texas Tech basketball program in his top seven, Pat Mahomes and others reached out to him via Twitter on behalf of the Red Raiders.

It’s never a bad development when the reigning Super Bowl MVP is working on your behalf.  That’s what happened this week when Red Raider legend Pat Mahomes encouraged Georgetown transfer, Mac McClung, to join the Texas Tech basketball program.

After leading the Hoyas in scoring last season at over 15 points per game, the guard has Tech in his list of seven schools that are still in the running to land him.  He would need a waiver from the NCAA to be able to play next season but were he to come to Tech and receive that waiver, he would be a huge addition and a potential starter.

Likely aware of that fact, Mahomes Tweeted to McClung on behalf of his alma mater.

Though Mahomes is a star in a different sport than McClung plays, he’s arguably one of the five most recognizable athletes in the nation these days, and having him help court McClung has to carry some weight.  But he isn’t the only Red Raider to reach out.

Former Red Raider forward Tariq Owens also commented on McClung’s Twitter post.  The grad transfer who set a single-season Texas Tech record for blocks and helped Tech reach the 2019 National Championship Game said that red and black looked good on McClung.

Owens might be one of the reasons McClung and a seemingly endless string of top transfers are always interested in Texas Tech.  The success Owens and his fellow grad transfer and teammate Matt Mooney had in 2018-19 made Tech the model for how transfers can transform a team.  Though McClung isn’t a grad transfer like Owens was, he could see the success Owens had as an indication of what Chris Beard can do for players that transfer to Lubbock.

McClung had put his name in the NBA Draft pool this spring but he’s since decided to come back to college.  Still, the NBA remains his goal so perhaps the words of Jarrett Culver will carry significant weight with him.

The Lubbock native and 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year Tweeted to McClung that “Texas Tech is the move” and that the Red Raiders have the best fans in the country.  Culver was taken with the No. 6 overall pick in last summer’s draft by Minnesota and he is certainly an example Beard points to when showing recruits how he can get them to the NBA.  For what it’s worth, Mooney replied to Culver’s Tweet and confirmed the assertion that his former teammate made about Tech.

Some potential future teammates of McClung’s also reached out.  And one even offered to give his number to the former Big East star.

Kyler Edwards replied to McClung’s Tweet by offering to give up his No. 0 jersey if it helps bring McClung to town.  McClung wore No. 2 at Georgetown but was pictured wearing No. 0 in the tweet that he sent out announcing his top 7.   If he wants that number, it appears Edwards is willing to give it to him for the sake of winning.  It’s also worth noting that he replied to Edwards’ Tweet in a positive way as you can see below.

One of the newest Red Raiders, Marcus Santos-Sliva also reached out to McClung.  The leading scorer and rebounder for Virginia Commonwealth this past season, the grad transfer responded to the top-7 announcement from the dynamic guard.

What’s more, grad transfer Marcus Santos-Silva also responded to McClung’s top-7 with some emojis.  After leading VCU in scoring and rebounding this season, the 6-foot-7 forward has signed with the Red Raiders and now he’s trying to bring another talented transfer, who was also his team’s leading scorer, into the mix on the South Plains.

Tech isn’t the only school with some high-profile people trying to steer McClung in a certain direction.  For instance, Donovan Mitchell of the NBA’s Utah Jazz Tweeted that he’d like to see the transfer head to BYU.  But Mitchell is a Louisville product with no real ties to BYU so his endorsement of that school doesn’t carry as much weight as those of Mahomes, Culver, Owens, or Mooney.

Only time will tell what McClung decides to do and even then we will probably never know whether these Tweets helped or not.  Ultimately, factors like his relationship with his coaches and his comfort with the system of each program will be what guides his decision.  But no one is going to turn down help from an NFL MVP, a first-round NBA Draft pick, and some of the most successful transfers in the last decade of college basketball.