Kansas Football Lands Commitment from 3-Star Safety Braiden Graves

The 2027 Kansas football recruiting class got a big addition on Tuesday as head coach Lance Leipold and his staff secured a commitment from three-star safety Braiden Graves.

The 6-foot, 190-pound prospect from Cypress, Texas, is ranked as the No. 49 player at his position and the No. 71 recruit overall in the state of Texas, according to On3.com. He chose KU over offers from Texas Tech, SMU, TCU, and others.

His commitment brings the Jayhawks’ 2027 class to a total of five – a class that is now ranked No. 7 in the Big 12 and No. 46 in the country after the Jayhawks also recently landed three-star quarterback Chance Thomas. Graves is also the first defensive player to commit to KU thus far in the 2027 class.

Graves had a breakout junior season at Bridgeland High School in Cypress, racking up 97 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, and seven sacks last year. He also had one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

How He Fits

Graves is a player who has shown a lot of versatility in his game with the ability to defend wideouts and also get downhill and make tackles in the run game and behind the line of scrimmage.

His physicality makes him a great future fit at the “hawk” position on D.K. McDonald’s defense – a hybrid position combining the skills of an outside linebacker and safety. It’s a position that requires a player physical enough to stop the run and quick enough to drop back in coverage to defend the pass when needed.

Speed shouldn’t be an issue for Graves as he’s a multi-sport athlete who has also had a successful high school track career. In fact, his track team was recently named 2026 district champions.

Overall, this is a really good pickup for the KU coaching staff, and Graves could be a player that sees early playing time as a freshman during the 2027-28 season.

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