Kansas Jayhawks: DJ Graham Looks to Lead Revamped Secondary

If you’ve kept track of our Kansas player profiles, you may have noticed a trend about the Jayhawks 2025 roster. To put it mildly, they are losing a significant amount of production from the previous season. On the offense, the same three players were the top receivers on the team for the past three seasons. And, none of them will return for the 2025 season. Well, the same can be said on the defensive side of the ball, particularly the cornerback group.

For the past three years, Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson have patrolled the airways for the Kansas defense. The duo collected a total of five appearances on the All-Big 12 Team (four First Teams and one Honorable Mention). Both were named Second Team All-Americans across various sources in 2024, and Bryant became the first Jayhawk ever to be named First Team All-Big 12 in three consecutive seasons.

Needless to say, the impact that those two have had on the program cannot be overstated. With both of them moving on, the secondary will be full of new faces looking to pick up where those two left off. Yet one player who may be going unnoticed in the secondary room for Kansas is cornerback DJ Graham.

Kansas Football: Who Is DJ Graham?

Graham was a three-star recruit coming out of Keller Central High School in Keller, Texas. He was a top-70 player in the state and a top-25 athlete in the country. He received offers from nearly 20 Power Conference schools, including Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Ultimately, Graham chose to take his talents 170 miles north and committed to Oklahoma.

After three somewhat productive seasons for the Sooners (70 total tackles and five passes defensed), he transferred to Utah State in 2024. There, he collected 42 tackles, two passes defensed, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles, which earned him Honorable Mention All-Mountain West.

However, Graham decided to test the transfer portal waters again. After just 12 days in the portal, he committed to the Kansas Jayhawks.

Connection to Kansas

Even though he was born and raised in Oklahoma, Graham has always found the Jayhawks intriguing. According to an article by Shreyas Laddha of The Star, Graham grew up a huge fan of KU basketball. His favorite player was Kansas legend Devonte Graham (no relation, according to Laddha).

However, it’s not just his fandom that connects him to the Jayhawks. Keith Langford, an excellent player in his own right and a vital piece of the 2003 Final Four team, is a family friend of the Grahams (DJ’s, not Devonte’s).

When Laddha asked DJ about being a Jayhawk, he had nothing but great things to say.

“You could tell KU is just completely different,” said Graham. “I never thought in a million years I would be at Kansas University for football. Just to see that is incredible.”

What Graham Brings to the Table

Given the state of the cornerback room for the Jayhawks, the most important thing Graham offers may just be his experience. He has played 22 games against Power Conference opponents, including a three tackle performance against Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship as a true freshman.

In 2024, Graham played three games against ranked opponents (Boise State, Utah, and USC). The defensive back had at least three tackles in each of those games, (plus an interception against the Broncos) showing that he can be relied upon.

Graham has tallied approximately 1,600 snaps across his four years. Those snaps will be much-needed for a group that will have no live game action together when they take the field in Week 1. While expecting him to be another Mello Dotson or Cobee Bryant is unfair, he could very well lead the Jayhawks secondary in 2025.