NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — Seth Gratz has a new home in Illinois.
But he said it already feels like a home he's lived in for a while.
Gratz spent two seasons at Western Illinois before transferring to ISU. He enrolled in classes in January and joined the Redbirds for spring football.
“It feels good to be a Redbird. The energy here is crazy,” the running back said. “I love being around this team and getting to know the players. The transition has been very smooth.”
Gratz had a record-breaking senior year at Morton High School in 20221. He ran for 3,246 yards on his 373 carries and scored 46 touchdowns, becoming one of the nation's top high school running backs.
As great as that monster season was, Gratz thinks things are better now. He says he is getting stronger, faster and smarter.
“I’ve definitely grown more as far as pass blocking,” Gratz said. “I'm seeing the whole field and reading the defense, and it's improved a lot. And my IQ as well.”
ISU recruited Gratz as a high school senior out of Morton, but coaches say he's a much better player now that he's been in college for two years. And when they saw his name in the transfer portal, they were immediately interested.
“He plays faster than you think and he's faster than you think. You look at the numbers and you know he can run,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “He's bigger and stronger. The way he runs, he's hard to tackle. He's been very good for us.”
Gratz is scheduled to play in ISU's spring game Saturday at 1 p.m., and the Redbirds hope to show they made a good investment in him by bringing him to Normal.
“They've shown interest in me since high school. I thought I had an opportunity to come here and show them what I can do,” Gratz said. “Just having it 30 minutes from home helps. I have to keep throwing the ball every day and show them every day what I can do to help the team.”
