I want to put more work in to get bigger and faster. I want to make the travel roster and I’d like to see the field on special teams.”

Garrett Gensler

Former Rochelle football star Garrett Gensler dressed for every home game during his freshman season at Northern Illinois University this past fall. Now a redshirt freshman gearing up for his second year with the Huskies, Gensler is motivated to continue proving himself and accomplishing his goals, which include making the travel roster for road games this season.

Gensler’s collegiate career began right away, as the former Hub football standout joined the Huskies during the summer before the first semester started in the fall. Much of his first summer was spent on strength and conditioning, with team activities beginning as early as 6:45 a.m. 

“Moving in was really exciting for me,” Gensler said. “I met a lot of the guys and some of those guys are my best friends in college right now. My first year was a lot of fun. The coaches get the most out of you no matter what. It’s really competitive and I’m being pushed every day.”

Gensler started at running back and inside linebacker during his high school career, earning All-Conference First Team honors in the Interstate 8/Kishwaukee River Conference over his junior and senior seasons. A two-time IHSFCA All-State honoree, Gensler was recruited to play running back for the Huskies, who offered him a spot on the team as a preferred walk-on.

Since that time, Gensler has been working hard to earn his way onto the field. Although he didn’t see game action during his freshman season, Gensler soaked in the Division I football experience, which included dressing and being on the sideline during home games against Southern Illinois, Tulsa, Akron, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Western Michigan.

“My role on the team is to be the guy who’s there day in and day out looking to get better and find his way onto the field,” Gensler said. “I’m not there yet offensively, but I’m hoping to take some steps forward and to play on special teams this season… Being on the field during home games was a really cool experience. It’s very different being out there. I look up and there are a lot of people in the stands. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to this season.”

Gensler is one of nine running backs listed on the NIU roster for the upcoming season. The Huskies went 7-6 and won the Camellia Bowl during the 2023 campaign, which was NIU’s fifth under head coach Thomas Hammock. Of the nine running backs on the roster, six are either freshmen or redshirt freshmen, meaning Gensler could have a chance to break out this fall.

“The biggest difference between the summer and the fall is that the summer is very taxing on the body, but fall camp is much more challenging mentally,” Gensler said. “We’re at the team facilities for as many as 12 hours a day and we practice a lot… I think I’ve improved physically and mentally. I’ve put on some size and I’ve definitely gotten stronger. I’ve dealt with a few lower-body injuries, but I’ve picked things up this summer and I’ve become faster, too.”

Gensler led Rochelle to an 8-3 season during his junior year and a 9-3 record during his senior year, when the Hubs reached the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. Gensler’s outstanding high school career included 50 rushing touchdowns and 29 rushing touchdowns during his senior year, both of which are school records for a career and a single season. Gensler rushed for 1,727 yards and was an IHSFCA All-State First Team honoree as a senior.

“I want to put more work in to get bigger and faster,” said Gensler, who’s currently studying business management at NIU. “I want to make the travel roster and I’d like to see the field on special teams. Those are my goals for next season. I dealt with a lot of great coaches at Rochelle and they really instilled the values of working hard and being selfless.”