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Oklahoma corner DJ Graham II announces plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•11/25/23
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Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Oklahoma cornerback DJ Graham II announced his plans to eventually enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. He announced the news on Saturday night via his Twitter page.

“It has been an honor to be part of this awesome and storied football program for the past three years at the University of Oklahoma. I thank God for the opportunity I was afforded to be a Sooner; however, I have arrived at a crossroad in my career, and with much prayer, consultation with my parents, and wise counsel, I will be entering the NCAA transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. The decision was very difficult, and I didn’t make it lightly, but I believe it is in the best interest of my athletic career and personal growth. I want to thank my former coaches; Lincoln Riley, Cale Gundy, and Kerry Cook, who recruited me to this great football program, the University of Oklahoma–Boomer Sooner!”

“I also sincerely appreciate the current staff, and express heartfelt gratitude to Coach Emmett Jones for his support of my athletic abilities and breathing new life into to the game I love. I thank my teammates, Head coach Brent Venables and coaches, training and medical staff, and the Sooners football program as a whole for the support the last three seasons of my career. I will carry all the many lessons–the cheers and the jeers and the no’s God has said yes to. This marks the end of my athletic career at the University of Oklahoma, but it is not the end of my academic quest. I am committed to remaining enrolled at OU throughout the remainder of the semester continuing pursuit of academic excellence. I pray only the best for the Sooner community in the future endeavors. My time here at OU has expired because all good things come to an end, so greater things can come forth. I am honored to have been a Sooner, but I am very eager to embrace the opportunities that lies ahead. #Boomer Sooner #Psalm 91.”

Graham went viral in 2021 for his spectacular interception against Nebraska. Graham made a spectacular one-handed grab against the ‘Huskers, turning heads across the country.

He played his high school football at Keller Central (Keller, Texas), where he was ranked as the No. 397 overall prospect in the country in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. For example, the 2021-22 cycle started Aug. 1. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle. In comparison, 1,833 Division I basketball players entered the portal during the 2020-21 cycle after totals of 1,020 in 2019-20 and 1,063 in 2018-19.

Track portal activity

While the NCAA transfer portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement.

If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Consensus recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.