SEATTLE — Gracen Halton made his presence known in the 49ers’ 32-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Lumen Field.
The Oklahoma product forced a fumble in the end zone and recovered the ball for a touchdown, helping San Francisco stretch its lead to eight points in the first half.
“I knew I had to get off the ball, and I felt my hand touch the ball,” Halton said after the game. “As I fell to the ground I heard people screaming. I turned around and the ball was right there and I got on it and all my emotions took over after that. Great opportunity, great experience. I want to give all glory to God and my teammates.”
Halton finished the night with three tackles, two for a loss, and one quarterback sack along with the forced fumble and recovery as part of the effort by the defense to do enough to get the win. Getting a hold of the ball was the goal for the rookie.
“That’s the mindset every week,” Halton said. “We have to create turnovers and sacks. That’s what we were doing. We have that mindset every week. We be dogs, dog pound.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan was pleased with the rookie’s production along with his young teammates that helped secure the win, including Mykel Williams, who made his 2026 debut in the game.
“From what I saw watching, it looked like they stepped it up a number of times,” Shanahan said. “I saw them make a number of plays today. Gracen with losing some of the D-linemen we’ve had. Mykel with his first game back. It’s really hard to win a game in that situation if those guys don’t step it up, and they’ve been stepping up huge.”
Trent Williams has kept a careful watch on his fellow Oklahoma graduate and sees a bright future for Halton, and believes there is no where to go but up.
“G Baby — we can’t do this without him,” Williams said. “He’s going to be a heck of a player in this league for a long time to come. Just a supreme talent, Boomer Sooner.
Halton knows he still has long way to go, but the rookie will enjoy his breakout game for now in the crazy environment that was Lumen Field on Sunday.
“It was the best thing ever,” Halton said. “I’ve never been in a stadium like that. It’s different, your ears are echoing and you see everybody at the top. I don’t think I saw an empty seat. It was crazy but a great experience.”
Halton now has started four of his five game appearances and before Week 5 had recorded 11 total tackles — five solo, two for a loss. His forced fumble for a touchdown also marked the first time a 49ers player registered a fumble recovery for a score since Dre Greenlaw ran a fumble recovery 23 yards for a touchdown in San Francisco’s win over the Miami Dolphins in 2022.
Fellow lineman Keion White joked that Halton needs to focus on is his celebration dance, which “needs improvement.”
“It was just my emotions,” Halton said. “I’ve done that dance before. I’ve thought of other dances, but that’s just what came out of my body.”