Mac Mahmens likes the idea of moving closer to home and playing on the same college football team with his brother.

That's why he's decided to transfer from the University of Minnesota-Duluth to the University of Dubuque, where he'll begin classes in January.

"Seven-and-a-half hours from home is a little far for me," he said. "I thought I could do it, but it's been a little rough the first semester."

Mahmens was an all-state lineman at Linn-Mar High School in 2010 and received a scholarship to Duluth, where he thought he'd get to play as a true freshman this season for one of the top Division II programs in the country. Instead, he was redshirted and buried on the depth chart at center.

"They told me I was going to be No. 2 right away, but they really turned me away when I came up and saw they had three more centers besides me," he said. He played several spots on the offensive line for Duluth's scout team this year.

Mahmens is switching to a Division III school at Dubuque, which means no athletic scholarships, but he's excited about the move. His older brother, Mitch, was a sophomore defensive back at Dubuque this season.

The Mahmens brothers played together for one year at Linn-Mar when Mitch was a senior and Mac a sophomore, and now they'll have two years together in Dubuque.

"He's told me nothing but good things about Dubuque," Mac Mahmens said. "I'm excited to see what we can do up there.

"I got to play at Linn-Mar for one year with my brother and I loved it. Now I'm looking forward to getting back on the team with him and seeing what we can do together at U of D."

Mahmens will be moving into the same house with his brother in Dubuque. "We used to not get along so good, but he's a great older brother," he said. "It helps having him there for me."

Dubuque won the Iowa Conference title this season for the first time since 1980 and reached the NCAA Division III playoffs.

"I saw all the success UMD (Minnesota-Duluth) was having and I thought that was where I wanted to go and win a national championship," he said. "It didn't work out there, so I'm really looking forward to taking my talent to U of D and help them out as much as I can."

Mahmens says he's now about 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds. He played offense and defense at Linn-Mar and said he's willing to play on either side of the ball at Dubuque.

Mahmens said his parents, Scott and Tammy, are excited about his move to Dubuque. They won't have to drive to Duluth and they'll get to see both brothers just an hour away in Dubuque.

"She'll be really happy to have both boys so close," Mahmens said of his mother.

Scott Mahmens, who is Linn-Mar's director of athletics, will be fetching his son at Duluth on Monday after Mac takes his last final exam for the semester.

Mahmens will be eligible at Dubuque for the 2012 season and will have four years of eligibility.