Beau Coleman may only be in his second season as a defensive lineman for the Cyclone football team, but he has shown enough work ethic to be a four-year starter.

Just 18 games into his career at Iowa State, Coleman will suit up for the Cyclones for only seven more games — eight if Iowa State plays in the postseason.

While time is winding down for Coleman, the senior from Chula Vista, Calif., won’t soon forget his time at Iowa State.

“I’m going to miss my teammates the most because we have gotten so close and we’ve been around each other so much,” Coleman said.

Coleman said that one of his fondest memories at Iowa State happened last year when he first experienced the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry.

Another one of his greatest memories came just two weeks ago when the Cyclones beat Nebraska.

Coleman transferred to Iowa State from Southwestern College in California after being named first-team all-Foothills Conference as a sophomore and honorable mention as a freshman.

He also had a very successful high school football career, receiving the National College Football Federation Hall of Fame Player of the Year Award for San Diego in 1998 and leading his team to the state finals.

“My fondest memory before college would have to be my last high school football game for the championship — just the experience of being there,” Coleman said.

Coleman credits his father and brother for pushing him to become the player he is today and is grateful to play the game he loves.

“I love the competition, hitting, sacks, rushing the pass,” Coleman said. “I love being part of a defense where everybody works as a team to get stuff done.”

Coleman narrowed the field to two choices before accepting the offer to play for the Cyclones.

“I had to make the decision in a week and everything just fell into place, so I was like ‘let’s do it,'” he said. “I also knew that this program was on the rise.”

At 6-foot-1, 239 pounds, Coleman is considered undersized at his position by Big 12 Conference standards, but he has found ways to make up for his disadvantage.

“He’s an inspiration to everyone around him because when he steps on the football field he has the attitude that no one is going to play harder than me, and that’s in practice and in games,” head coach Dan McCarney said. “What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for with other intangibles.”

McCarney said that the best parts of Coleman’s game are the way he uses his hands on defense and his foot speed.

He said that the strongest point of Coleman’s game is his relentlessness and the way he plays his heart out from the first to the last snap.

Coleman said he the experience of playing football from year-to-year and competing in the Big 12 has helped him progress as a player. He said the transition from junior college to a Division I has been a gradual process.

“Every year I play, I get a little more comfortable and that helps me to make big plays,” he said.

McCarney said Coleman isn’t a great verbal leader, but rather he contributes to the team with his play on the field.

“Beau isn’t a guy who gets up in front of the team and hollers a lot,” McCarney said. “On the field his actions say ‘follow my lead, this is the way the game is suppose to be played.'”

Coleman said he is doing his best to ensure that he gives it his all in his final season for the Cyclones.

So far it’s worked — he leads the Cyclones with four sacks and also has 31 tackles on the season.

“He’s left a great legacy on all out relentless effort in the two years that he has been here,” McCarney said. “He understands the team is more important than any one individual and he’s one of the most unselfish players we have.”

McCarney has been impressed by not only Coleman’s ability on the football field but the class he portrays as an individual off of the field.

“I’d like to go out and recruit as many Beau Coleman’s as I can to be in this program,” McCarney said. “I have an 11 year-old son and I’d love for him to grow up and be the kind of person Beau Coleman is and I mean that sincerely.”