Iowa State recruit headed to Ames distinctively prepared for college

Published May. 6, 2015 6:33 p.m. ET

foxsports

Iowa State recruit Seth Nerness will join the Cyclones as a freshman this summer, but he isn't your average freshman.

Unlike most incoming freshmen, Nerness will already have the experience of living away from home under his belt upon packing up his bags and heading to summer football camp.

As he reveals to the Des Moines Register, the three-star defensive end from Murray, Iowa, wanted to prepare himself for his college experience at Iowa State by spending his last year of high school away from home.

"It was different but it worked out great," Nerness said.

Nerness' move to North Carolina provided him with many opportunities, including an important one related to football.

In addition to removing the edge off of his eventual move to Ames, Nerness also was able to develop a better relationship with his aunt, uncle, and two cousins, who lived in Huntersville, N.C.

It also gave him the opportunity to brush up on playing 11-on-11 football, as his high school in Iowa played 8-on-8.

"I thought it was slower and easier since I played one way and there's more guys on the field, you have less responsibility," Nerness said of playing with 11 men on both teams.

His experience moving away from home wasn't without a few hiccups, but he eventually learned how to sustain a life over 1,000 miles from home.

"I think he rose to the challenge," his father, Daryl, said.

(h/t Des Moines Register)