Patrick and Brittany Mahomes in New York City on April 25, 2024.

Patrick Mahomes is looking back on the early days of his relationship with wife Brittany Mahomes.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE on behalf of his partnership with T-Mobile for the company’s Friday Night 5G Lights campaign, the NFL star, 29, says he and Brittany, also 29, “definitely” bonded over their shared sports dreams when they were students at Whitehouse High School in Texas.

“There’s no better feeling than having someone by your side who is just as competitive as you and supports you in everything you do,” says Patrick, whose wife is a former soccer player and current owner of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current.

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes in high school.

“Whether it was her in soccer or me in football or baseball, we both understood the level of commitment it takes,” he adds.

Patrick says he wasn’t much different in high school than he is now, describing himself as “definitely competitive, and always working to get better” in his adolescence.

“I think a lot of students can relate to just wanting to work hard and have fun,” he says.

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes in high school.

And some of the best memories of his days at Whitehouse High came on the football field.

“It’s hard to name just one [favorite memory], but I know a lot of my memories were on Friday nights under the lights,” he says. “There’s no feeling like it, especially in Texas high school football.”

Patrick and Brittany started dating in 2012 when they were teenagers at Whitehouse High School in Texas.

During GQ’s “Couple Quiz” in 2023, Brittany said Patrick was interested in her first, but she kept him “in the friend zone for a very long time.”

When they went to separate universities in Texas after high school, the athletes pursued their respective sports while maintaining a long-distance relationship.

After a decade of dating and welcoming their first child, Sterling Skye Mahomes, in 2021, the couple married in 2022 during a private ceremony in Hawaii.

They welcomed their son, Patrick “Bronze” Lavon Mahomes III, that same year, and had their daughter Golden Raye Mahomes in 2025.

Patrick is joining former NFL star Rob Gronkowski in their partnership with T-Mobile, which will give small-town schools the chance to win big and update their athletics facilities.

“It’s huge,” Patrick says of the campaign’s impact for the lucky winner. “Growing up in a small town, you know every dollar of support helps. I’m grateful to be a part of this incredible program with T-Mobile where we can support some deserving schools across the country.”