DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Ohio State football players enjoy a somewhat cushy lifestyle: all-you-can eat buffets, charter jets to away games and even overnight stays in a posh campus hotel before the team plays at home.

But no one can say Kurt Coleman was pampered at the start of his college career. After graduating early from Northmont High School, he jumped into offseason workouts with the Buckeyes and spent his first three months in Columbus living out of his brother's closet.

Scholarship freshmen have to wait until they actually enroll before getting free room and board. And with winter quarter already under way, Coleman couldn't receive housing until spring quarter began in late March.

But Kyle Coleman, 23, already was attending OSU, and Kurt jumped at the chance to be reunited with his brother — even though it meant sharing a studio apartment.

"I have a spacious walk-in closet," Kyle said. "I took my clothes out, and he put a mattress, TV and dresser in there. That was his room. He loved it 'cause we were back together again."

Although separated by four years, the brothers forged deep bonds while growing up, exhorting each other athletically and helping each other through crises such as their father's cancer scare.

As Kyle, who played high school soccer, put it: "We want to be each other's crutch. That way, we make sure the other doesn't fall."

Kurt quickly gained a reputation at OSU as a daring playmaker, and he credits his brother for helping him be so self-assured.

"He's taught me that, no matter where I go, be confident," Kurt said. "He used to always beat up on me, and I was always going at him. And I've always had that confidence that I can do anything I want to do. That's the way I approach life."

But Kurt had to overcome some self-doubts before his junior year at Northmont, wondering if he'd ever crack the starting lineup. Kyle provided a calming influence, and Kurt emerged as a star for the Thunderbolts, registering 13 interceptions over the next two years.

When he arrived at OSU, he had another frantic spell after his introduction to the team as an early enrollee.

"He came home real stressed out," Kyle said. "He had this binder that was two or three inches thick with plays and coverages. His eyes were real big. I just said, 'Relax, bro. The dream of a 1,000 miles begins with one step.' I could see him knuckle down, and it started to come to him in waves."

Coleman made a move from cornerback to safety after five games last season when injuries left the Buckeyes short-handed. He quickly adapted to his new position, which allows him just to read and react.

"That's my personality," Coleman said. "That's the way I play the game. I like to rove and make plays, to come up and make the tackle or an interception."

He's been a starter since the beginning of preseason camp, and his brother has noticed a difference in the way he's carrying himself.

"I remember him being nervous going into his junior year (at Northmont)," Kyle said. "But there's no nervousness now. It's all familiar ground."

Kurt also is back in familiar surroundings with his brother. After spending the mandatory one year in a campus dorm, he's planning to share an apartment with Kyle again, bringing along teammate Grant Schwartz.

Of course, the sleeping arrangements figure to be a lot less claustrophobic.