DJ Graham II working back from camp injury

DJ Graham II spent the first four years of his college career at Oklahoma, best known for his one-handed interception against Nebraska in his sophomore season.. The Sooners went 3-0 in the first three years, outsourcing Kansas by 75 points, before the Jayhawks finally beat Oklahoma in 2023.

If you would’ve told the four-star prospect that committed to Oklahoma that he would eventually end up at Kansas, Graham said that he would’ve looked at you funny. The Kansas program has transformed over the last five years to make it an attractive destination for players like Graham.

“If you told me four or five years ago that I’d be at KU, I’m going look at somebody sideways,” Graham said. “But now the way this university has came, the progression it’s made. The culture, the coaching staff, the players, it all made me feel like I belonged.”

Surprised by the facilities and culture was a big factor

Lance Leipold said on media day that recruits are often pleasantly surprised with the resources Kansas has to offer, saying they “see that there’s something special here on the horizon.” Graham is a prime example of that, being blown away by the facilities.

“I was astounded by the facilities,” Graham said. “The booth wasn’t what it was when I first came here, but of course it’s been built up. It had everything that you think a top 10 program or top five program in the nation would have. We all have it here, and it blew me away.”

Kansas isn’t the program it was when Graham started college. One of the biggest transformations happened in the program’s identity, with Leipold and his staff creating a strong culture. That culture was one of the reasons Graham was drawn to Kansas.

“It just shows you how if you take a group of people and how little a group of people it could take to change the culture completely,” Graham said. “And if you just get the right people in at the right time, you can get the skyrocket [of a] program. That’s kind of what happened and that’s how I ultimately ended up here.”

Graham was on track to start, taking a leadership role

DJ Graham was a JayhawkSlant projected starter at the start of fall camp. However, an injury during camp hampered his progress, and redshirt freshman Austin Alexander took the starting job. Leipold said Graham is just back to getting going again.

“DJ had an excellent spring, but he’s just back to getting going again,” Leipold said. “I thought, you know, he was out there today, made a few nice plays out there today. He’s getting more back in the swing of it.”

While sidelined with injury, the veteran cornerback has taken on a mentorship role. The coaches told him to mentor and lead a young corner room, an area that Graham had to work at.

“I had to work on it,” Graham said. “I’ve never been a truly vocal guy, especially coming into college, but I feel like I’ve developed it a little bit, for sure.”

Todd and Alexander are going to be called on to be contributors for this Kansas team, and Graham said he’s impressed with their technique and potential. He was also impressed with the way they took his coaching.

“What I appreciate from the younger guys is, and I really appreciate, is how they’ve taken my criticism,” Graham said. “I feel like my tone of voice, and I think they’re understanding that I’m coming from a place of love and I just want to see them better, you know what I mean? And I think that they’ve taken that in a great way. They just nod. They give me a thumbs up, and they try to use it in their game.”