Gedett and Gratz love their new home with the Illinois State University football team.

Gedett graduated from Washington High School and transferred to ISU from Minnesota. Gratz, a Morton native, comes to the Redbirds after playing the past two seasons at Western Illinois.

“The first few years we had a lot of older guys. I think all of them could have been in the league (NFL) for a little while,” said Guede, a 6-foot-8, 315-pound offensive tackle.

“I ended up getting injured, which set me back a little bit. I was in and out of the rotation at the end. I wanted to be in the rotation and play just my last year.”

Guede and ISU have a long-standing relationship. His father, J, was the defensive coordinator for former Washington head coach Darrell Crouch, a former Redbirds player.

ISU coach Brock Spack offered Gedet a scholarship after he came to ISU's lineman camp before his junior season with the Panthers.

“We tried it,” Spack said. “He was a very good guy. He exploded and ended up going to Minnesota. In this day and age we live in, you never know when they're going to come back to you. And he's He did. We're so glad he's here.”

Since Normal is much closer to Washington than Minneapolis, Gedett is able to see her family more often, as well as attend more of her sister Dani's high school games.

“It’s just nice,” he said.

Gedett stepped in at the first-team tackle spot with the Redbirds, paving the way for former tackle Hunter Zambrano to shift to guard.

“JJ has great length and size and is a very good athlete,” Spack said. “Zambrano is one of the best offensive linemen coming back to our league. He can play all five positions, but we know he's better suited playing inside. It’s going to make the team better. That’s the premise behind it.”

According to Guedet, there are “obviously some differences” between Minnesota and ISU's blocking schemes.

“But it's not that hard to understand because you understand football. Once you understand why they're doing things differently and where the players line up based on safeties and linebackers, it's easier.” “It will be,” he said.

Guedet earned a bachelor's degree in health services management from Minnesota State and is pursuing a master's degree in business from ISU.

Gratz was an absolute terror for Morton, amassing 6,001 career yards as a senior and racking up 3,250 yards and 46 touchdowns. In his two years at Western, Gratz rushed for 329 yards on 90 carries and caught eight passes for 115 yards.

“At Western, I often went home on the weekends. I didn't really feel like this was the place for me,” Gratz said. “I came here for a visit and loved it from the first day I came here. It's 30 minutes from my home (in Morton).”

The 5-11, 190-pound Glatz showed quickness and elusiveness in spring practice with the Redbirds.

“The transition is going well and is pretty smooth,” he said. “I feel a positive response. It's good.”

Spack said he and his staff were worried about Gratz going into the game against the Leathernecks.

“We thought he was a tough player to tackle. We were excited when he decided to come here,” Spack said. “I'm very impressed. He's physical, he's a better athlete than I gave him credit for. He's a little faster than he looks. He's a good player, he's tough. He's a good fit for us. ”