D.J. Graham hit a breaking point after six games last season.
The Fort Worth native felt he had to speak his mind before it was too late. After struggling and making just one start at cornerback, Graham decided to make the switch to wide receiver, the position he earned first-team all-district honors for at Keller Central High School.
“It's something I wanted to do after every season of my college career,” Graham said Monday. “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.’
“I hate that it ended up (in the middle of the season) like that. But I felt like my performance was diminishing everyday, I mean my heart wasn’t in it. So I was like, give somebody else an opportunity to actually (play the position they love). Let them have it.”
Graham made 12 starts at cornerback in three seasons and is best known for his one-handed interception against Nebraska in 2021. Graham is now using spring practices to catch up on improving at the position he’s passionate about.
He’s gotten help from his roommate and fellow receiver Drake Stoops, and former interim receivers coach L’Damian Washington, who’s now at USF.
He’s also redeveloped a bond with Sooners’ new receivers coach Emmett Jones, who recruited Graham when he had the same job at Texas Tech.
“He’s a fantastic coach,” Graham said. “He believed in me and it’s good because he starts with the fundamentals. We’re a really young receiving core and what he’s implementing right now … He’s not just a coach, he’s a teacher.”
The position is one with notable turnover after Oklahoma lost nearly 68% of its production from 2022 with Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis and Eric Gray heading to the draft and Theo Wease transferring to Missouri. However, it presents Graham with an opportunity to create a role for himself.
“I believe in myself 100%,” Graham said. “Not knocking anybody else of course but we’re a young group, we have a lot of talent but I feel like I can definitely get on the field, 100%.”
Senior defensive lineman Reggie Grimes during the Sooners' spring open practice on Mar. 21
More competitive defensive line room
Oklahoma overhauled its defensive line during the offseason and Reggie Grimes, who started 10 games last in 2022, took notice.
Five-star edge PJ Adebawore and defensive line transfers Rondell Bothroyd (Wake Forest), Trace Ford (Oklahoma State), Jacob Lacey (Notre Dame) and Davon Sears (Texas State) are a few who are expected to compete for starting spots and help the Sooners improve, which excites Grimes.
“Definitely the competition goes up,” Grimes said Monday. “Iron sharpens iron … A lot of guys are gonna go, we have a lot of guys who can play and who have played a lot of football.”
Grimes sees potential in Adebawore and also sophomore R Mason Thomas, who played in 10 games last season after arriving on campus as a 17-year-old and said last week he feels more equipped with the speed and complexities of Brent Venables’ playbook.
“PJ, he’ll be a great player,” Grimes said. “We’ve got R Mason Thomas who is going into his second year and is a really good pass rusher. So you have a lot of guys, you know their strengths, their weaknesses, their entire game within the game as far as when you're going to be matched. So, the competition is great. I've had fun.”
One newcomer Grimes was surprised to see transfer to OU was Ford. He admitted to being skeptical at first about a player transferring from a rival team but said once he got to know him better he’s happy he made the move.
“He's a good dude, who's getting back and who wants to learn and wants to contribute,” Grimes said. “He’s a dude who's played a lot of ball as well, so with that and just getting to know him in our group, giving him our circle … He's a great guy.”
Junior defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. and sophomore defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings during the Sooners' spring open practice on March 27
Robert Spears-Jennings focused on physicality, improvement in second season
OU put its own twist on the Oklahoma drill with its “W” drill during Monday’s practice.
The drill featured four offensive players and three defensive players and got chippy at times. Sophomore Robert Spears-Jennings,who totaled 15 tackles in nine games last season, thinks the drill is essential in improving the Sooners’ intensity.
“We needed that because last year we weren't as physical as we are now,” Spears-Jennings said Monday. “You know you're going against your brother every play so you’re going to talk stuff to each other but it’s all love at the end.”
A former four-star recruit who showed flashes of excellence last season, Spears-Jennings is looking to take his game to another level and has leaned on veterans in the position room.
Oklahoma returns Billy Bowman, an All-Big 12 honorable mention last season, and Key Lawrence who played in all 13 games in 2021 but dealt with injuries in 2022. Spears-Jennings also said he’s learned a lot from former Sooner Justin Broiles, who’s helped with practices while preparing for OU’s Pro Day on Thursday.
Former #Sooners DB Justin Broiles doing some coaching: pic.twitter.com/yo79uHHC3w
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) March 21, 2023
“Just having those other guys help me,” Spears-Jennings said of his approach this spring. “Just soaking it all in … all the knowledge, I just try to pick their brain and understand where they came from.”
This story was edited by Austin Curtright.
