Talib Graham, who started his high school football journey at Chandler and Hamilton, will play in the biggest game of his life for Ole Miss on Jan. 8.
Talib Graham, who started his high school journey in Chandler before moving to Alabama, is getting ready for the biggest game of his life as a true freshman.
Graham plays in certain packages for Ole Miss as an edge rusher. He could be called on during the Jan. 8 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl against Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
This week, with Ole Miss in the Valley getting ready for the game, has allowed more family time for Graham, whose father Larry Graham runs the APE strength-training facility in Chandler, where some of the state's top high-school football prospects train.
"He's super-excited to be coming back home and playing in front of his fans," said Larry Graham, who trained his son on his overall strength and athleticism since he was a little kid. "There's a lot of kids and coaches excited to watch him.
"It's been a blessing. It's been a journey that is nothing short of spectacular."
Graham said he wanted to keep him in Chandler during his son's high school years. He was at Hamilton his freshman year, and was part of the Chandler High team in 2022 as a sophomore that featured quarterback Dylan Raiola but lost to Basha in the Open state semifinals.
The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Talib then made a move to Alabama due to his mother being relocated for her job. He starred at Daphne High, where he was coached by former Hamilton assistant coach Kenny King.
During his senior year in 2024, Graham had 43 tackles and seven sacks. He came to Ole Miss heralded as a four-star recruit who had offers from Auburn and Florida.
It's not often Arizona kids wind up at Ole Miss to play football. Graham is happy to be there, playing in high-stakes games to start his college football career. Making it sweeter, is being back home where football began for him.
Talib had a taste of adversity this season, suffering a knee injury that caused him to miss six weeks. He's healthy now and can be found mostly in goal-line situations on defense. Since he's been back, he's had a sack and two tackles for losses.
Larry said he'll be at the game, rooting for Talib, before pushing him back in the APE lab this summer.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Talib Graham making most of Ole Miss opportunity
Category: General Sports
