When DJ Graham made the move from corner to receiver in October, he knew exactly who to call – former Sooner wideout Travis Wilson.

Graham, now a senior at Oklahoma, has become close with Wilson, who played at OU from 2001-2005. Wilson was Graham’s personal receiver coach in high school and has been training Graham for the past five months as he makes the switch from defense to offense.

“When he called, I approached it from a big brother standpoint,” Wilson told Sooner Scoop. “I supported it and said, ‘let’s get to work.’ He bet on himself. I respect the hell out of it. A lot of people wouldn’t have the heart to do that.”

Graham was recruited by OU as a three-star athlete out of Keller Central High School, hoping to play on offense. His primary position in high school was receiver – 20 of his 22 offers were exclusively at receiver except for Oklahoma (athlete) and Georgia (defensive back).

“I don’t know how to put into words some of the things he would do,” said Gavyn White, Graham’s high school quarterback. “You could throw the ball at him and was going to catch it.”

Due to OU’s lack of cornerback depth, though, he began his career on defense, appearing in eight games as a freshman in 2020 and starting 10 games as a sophomore in 2021. And he showcased his receiving skills, with one of the most impressive interceptions in recent history – a one-handed grab against Nebraska in 2021.

But six games into the 2022 season, with a new coaching staff in place and a deep cornerback room, Graham made the decision to switch back to receiver.

“I feel like my performance was diminishing every game,” Graham said. “I mean my heart's not in it. So I was like, you know what? Give somebody else the opportunity at the position they love to let them play. Let them have it. Let them have their glory, let them have their opportunity.”

Now, Graham hopes to make a big impact at receiver in his senior season. And the Sooners could certainly use his help.

The receiver room is a big question mark heading into 2023, losing top receiver Marvin Mims to the NFL. The hope is that someone like Graham, among several others, can fill that void. And while he hasn’t played receiver since high school, those who have seen Graham play say he could be the playmaker Oklahoma is searching for.

“I’m expecting to see huge things this year and when he gets his opportunity, he’s going to make the most of it,” said Wilson, now the wide receivers coach at Lone Star High School. “His ball skills are out of this world. Anyone that’s been around him knows he does stuff like that in practice to be funny – catching the ball one-handed, stuff like that. He’s a ballhawk. How quick and shifty he is is a whole other thing, too. People don’t know about that. Those two intangibles make him unique. If the ball is around him, he’s going to go get it.

“Lastly, he’s just a damn competitor. That’s a man on fire.”

And for Graham, he’s certainly not lacking any confidence about the move.

“If I could do it all over again, I would have stayed at receiver,” Graham told Sooner Scoop. “I just want to show that I can be one of the best receivers in the country.”

'Better late than never’

Wilson, 39, first saw Graham play football at a camp in eighth grade.

Graham’s family were big Oklahoma fans and introduced themselves to Wilson at the camp. They asked Wilson if he’d help train Graham and he obliged, knowing how good Graham might become.

“He had a little bit more twitch than everyone else at that age,” Wilson said. “And his ability to catch the ball was unique itself.”

Graham quickly became a standout prospect at Keller Central High School, being named the District 3-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, playing both receiver and corner. He was a four-year starter at Keller Central, totaling 152 receptions for 2,090 yards and 18 touchdowns. He earned All-District honors all four years and held offers to play receiver from LSU, Ohio State, Michigan and Miami, among others.

Watch Graham’s high school highlight reel and it’s clear why he was so coveted at receiver. At 6-foot, 195 pounds, he made stunning catches and had breakaway speed. His first touchdown grab from White was an over-the-shoulder one-handed grab in which the defender was tackling him as he made the catch.

Most of Keller Central’s offense was designed around Graham.

“He just made plays,” said White, Keller Central’s starting quarterback in 2018 and 2019. “He’s always been athletic and he’s a lot faster than everybody, but he was just able to come down with the ball when the ball was thrown to him. We had a lot of memorable plays.”

Growing up, Graham always wanted to play receiver. But he was also aware enough to know he needed to play defense, too. He wasn’t the biggest receiver, but he was a big corner, which he knew gave him a chance to play college football. He was a second-team All-District selection at corner three years at Keller Central.

But even when Oklahoma offered him, most believed it was at receiver.

It was the summer before his junior season when he stood out at receiver at one of OU’s summer camps, making several impressive coaches. But it was then-defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks that made him the offer. Still, then-receivers coach Cale Gundy called Wilson to ask about Graham.

“This kid might be special,” Gundy told Wilson. “He’s got loads of talent.”

But when Graham got on campus, a new defensive coaching staff was in place and they needed depth in the secondary. And with Oklahoma taking three receivers in the 2020 class – Mims, Trevon West and Brian Darby – the odds of getting on the field on offense were low.

That’s why then-head coach Lincoln Riley asked Graham if he’d be willing to play defense.

“Nothing against the (previous) coaches whatsoever, at the end of the day it was my decision,” Graham told Sooner Scoop. “They just said, ‘we love you at corner’ and ‘you have a better chance to play.’ And at the time, we were stacked at receiver. They told me I’d get on the field as a freshman and they upheld that promise. Me and Marvin played the most of any freshmen in our class… If I had to ride the pine, I’d ride the pine. But I can’t fault anyone else but myself.”

And Graham was good at corner. He totaled 69 tackles, five pass breakups and two interceptions. After a solid freshman and sophomore seasons, many believed he was set to be long-time starter. But Graham didn’t see the same success in 2022, with the emergence of guys like C.J. Coldon and Jaden Davis, starting alongside veteran Woodi Washington.

On top of that, Graham didn’t have the same passion to play corner. His expectation was to always play receiver and when others started to step up at corner, he knew was the right time to make the switch.

“I've wanted to do after every season of my college career,” Graham said. “But I finally fessed up and said I can't do this no more. This is what I want to do. This has always been my dream… Better late than never.”

‘They’re going to meet me soon’

Head coach Brent Venables met with Graham last October about the move. Venables granted Graham’s wish, saying Graham’s “love is on offense and at receiver.”

And so far, the transition hasn’t been too difficult, according to Graham. At first, it wasn’t about running routes and getting back into the footwork of being a receiver, which he said vastly different than playing corner. From there, it was about getting reps in practice.

“It was a lot of scout team work,” Graham said. “It was my first time being on scout team, but it was great practice. I'm going against Brent Venables' defense. It was making me better as a receiver and it was just getting me back in the groove. There was a lot of things that I was like, okay I kind of forget about that. Or oh I forgot, I've got to get my steps back on certain routes. So it was good. I'm so glad that he allowed me to play on scout team to get my feet back under me.”

Graham has impressed this spring, with new receiver coach Emmett Jones having a high praise for the senior. Jones said, “that joker probably has some of the strongest hands I’ve ever seen – suction cups.”

For Graham though, catching the ball has never been an issue. He said the biggest adjustment has been the playbook. Going from having to only know man versus zone coverage to learn offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s complex offense has been difficult. Luckily, Graham’s roommate and fifth-year receiver Drake Stoops, has helped with that.

“Drake helped out a lot and he really got me a little kickstart,” Graham said. “Those signals man, it's just totally different. For the longest (time) I was like, oh yeah that's blah blah blah – no, no, no that's totally different. So just the signals, that's the biggest thing.”

And Stoops, while clearly biased as one of Graham’s close friends and teammates, believes Graham can be a real contributor next season. He’s seen it in spring practice.

“He’s a big, physical guy. He obviously has unbelievable hands,” Stoops said. “You see him make a freakish catch almost every other day, so it’s been good to get to see him do that and just teaching him the playbook, and once he gets the hang of that, I think he’ll be able to play faster, be more decisive and then be able to use his extreme athletic ability and continue to make huge plays.”

Graham has also spent extra time with Wilson. Any time Graham has visited home the past five months, he and Wilson have gotten together to train.

Wilson said Graham still has all the skills to be a great receiver, now it’s just the mental part.

“I think this spring has been a little fast-paced for him. His mind is probably racing 100 miles per hour,” said Wilson, who totaled 1,375 yards and 17 touchdowns in his Sooner career. “He’s felt the pressure from doing that in the middle of the season. He knows all eyes are on him.”

Wilson, while busy coaching Lone Star, said he hopes to catch a game next season. The Oklahoma alum is close with much of the coaching staff, having been there at the same time as Venables and Lebby.

He also wants to see Graham follow in his footsteps as a receiver.

“Seeing him have a dream, having a vision and going an accomplishing it, that to me, is what makes people great,” Wilson said. “To see him do that from a young age, that’s when I knew he was special. Everyone wants to be great, but not everyone is willing to do that unseen stuff to be great. DJ is. I’ve seen him put in that work to be great.”

Now, it’s time for Graham to put that work to the test.

“They haven’t seen me at receiver,” Graham said. “But that’s OK. They’re going to meet me soon.”