Alex Sandvig wanted to stay close to his family.

When the freshman from West Des Moines chose to attend college at Iowa State, he joined his family alongside his older brother Zac.

“It’s nice having my brother here,” Alex said. “He’s my best friend. It just makes me comfortable to know that I have a family member here.”

Alex, a 6-foot-tall freshman wide receiver, spent three years in high school playing with his older brother as teammates of the Valley Tigers. While Alex hauled in 38 receptions for 632 yards to finish up his senior year of high school, Zac was adjusting to his new college life as a Cyclone, redshirting, by himself.

“Not having him in the house, it was a way different experience for me,” Zac said.

Now, the two are at it again. Alex, who also added five touchdowns in his senior year, is following in his brother’s footsteps redshirting his freshman season for Iowa State. Zac, a 5-foot-10-inch defensive back, has spent time working throughout the Cyclone’s special teams. Alex said he chose Iowa State over a number of other schools so their parents could travel together on game days.

“A big part of it was I didn’t want my mom and dad to have to split up on Saturdays,” Alex said. “One to go watch my brother and one to come watch me.” Instead, their parents, Keith and Lynn Sandvig spend their Saturday’s together in Ames. Along with Alex and Zac’s grandparents, who make it to most home games, the Sandvig fan base typically ranges anywhere from eight to 12 family members.

“It’s awesome being able to leave the locker room after a game and going to the tailgate and seeing everybody,” Alex said.

The Sandvigs aren’t the only brothers leaving the locker room together after games. Sophomore Nate Frere, a 6-foot-2-inch defensive lineman, joined the Cyclones after a little recruiting from his older brother Nick, also a defensive lineman.

Nate had been courted by the Iowa Hawkeyes.

“I just tried to tell him it would be easier for our parents if they didn’t have us at different schools,” Nick said. “Especially rival schools.”

Nate, a first-team All-State pick as a junior and senior by the Iowa Newspaper Association, picked the Cyclones over a number of other choices.

It was a decision that excited their entire family, especially their mother, Theresa.

“She was off the wall with excitement,” Nate said. “It was good.”

After careers with the Muscatine Muskies, the Frere brothers are back together on the defensive line. In practice and in games, they typically find themselves together in groups. The toughest part of playing together? Keeping track of who is who.

“Sometimes coaches kind of screw our names up,” Nick said. “They call me Nate and they call him Nick; other than that, it’s really not a big deal.”

Outside of the name-calling mistakes, life in Ames is good for the Frere brothers. Like the Sandvig brothers, Nate and Nick are using all the tickets they are allotted for each home game. With their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins making it to games, the Frere section is usually full.

While all eyes are typically drawn to the brothers, both said they can feel the bond they share out on the field.

“Once we’re out there, I trust him to do his job and he trusts me to do my job, just like we trust the other guys,” Nick said. “But I trust him even more so, because I know him on a personal level.”

While both sets of brothers said they receive their share of hazing from teammates, each agree they have enjoyed their time together again.

“I couldn’t picture myself playing anywhere else,” Nate said.

After spending the summer living together, Nate and Nick are back in separate households.

Alex, who has to live in the dorms as a freshman, plans to move in with Zac next year, where besides a change in scenery, he hopes to rekindle some of their high school days.

“That’s obviously the goal, to get back on the field as quick as you can,” Alex said. “That’ll make it just like old times, being on the same field at the same time, playing for the team we love.”