The all black uniform - designed in part by alum Patrick Mahomes - will now feature a second sponsor.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech has strengthened its relationship with alum Patrick Mahomes after the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback helped design a second Gladiator special edition uniform.
The jersey will now feature a brand Mahomes has long been an ambassador for: State Farm.
As announced Wednesday morning, the Red Raiders' "Let's Ride" uniforms will feature the State Farm emblem, in addition to Mahomes' signature Gladiator logo with adidas.
"State Farm is the perfect brand to further enhance the debut of our 'Let's Ride' uniforms from adidas and its Patrick Mahomes brand," athletic director Kirby Hocutt said. "We look forward to celebrating this partnership Friday night in front of a sold-out Galaxy Stadium and a nationally-televised audience on FOX."
The No. 13-ranked Red Raiders will debut the design on Friday, Sept. 18, in the first Big 12 conference game of the season against No. 22 Houston.
Mahomes has been a frequent endorsement of Texas Tech's football momentum in recent years, even as he's more than a decade removed from his time in Lubbock.
The three-time Super Bowl MVP generously funded many of the facilities in Tech's state-of-the-art Womble Football Center opened last year, and his Mahomes Strategy partnership between Texas Tech and Gladiator provides name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities for studnet-athletes across campus.
This is the second year of the special edition football uniform, with last year's style being a white base with shiny, gray accents.
"It's pretty special seeing Texas Tech, adidas, and State Farm all come together with my Gladiator logo on this uniform," Mahomes said, via Tech Athletics. "There's a lot of history and meaning behind the 'Let's Ride' uniform design, and I'm excited to help bring these partners together to share it with Red Raider fans and put it on the field this week."
State Farm has regularly featured Mahomes, along with tight end Travis Kelce, head coach Andy Reid and other Chiefs players in advertisement campaigns.
"Patrick's connection to Texas Tech is such an important part of his story, so this felt like a natural way to bring our partnership with him to life," said Kristyn Cook, the chief agency, sales and marketing officer at State Farm.
"The 'Let's Ride' uniform creates a unique moment to celebrate that connection and show up alongside Patrick in a place that means a lot to him and his fans."
In the rollout above, Texas Tech's jerseys do not feature the Monster Energy Big 12 patch that every conference team must adhere to this season.
In previous uniform announcement videos, there has been a similar absence, only for the patch to be worn in the game.
Texas Tech and Houston kick off at 7 p.m. CT on FOX this Friday. It will be the Red Raiders' first Friday-night home game since 1941.
