By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa football team’s 55-24 drubbing of then No. 3-ranked Ohio State this past Nov. 4 has started to pay dividends in recruiting.

Three-star linebacker Luke Fulton took notice of that victory over his home-state team and now has the opportunity to be a part of the Hawkeye program after receiving a scholarship offer from Iowa on Friday.

“I was really pumped up about the Iowa offer,” said Fulton, a native of Youngstown, Ohio. “I think that their whole program, how they’re the top blue collar team, I think it’s a really good fit for me and I was really excited to get that one.

“The way that they play defense has always stood out to me. Obviously, they get very good wins. Of course last year they beat up Ohio State which was a really good win for their program. I think all that stuff really stands out to me and is really attractive to me in a school.”

Iowa has pulled recruits out of Youngstown, Ohio before, including the Stoops brothers and former standout receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who attended the same high school as the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Fulton.

Fulton said he has followed the Iowa program since Johnson-Koulianos played there from 2007-10.

“He was from the same high school as me, so we’ve had some people from our school go to Iowa," Fulton said. "So I kind of followed them because he was on the team. It’s always been a team that I’ve followed and I really do like them a lot.”

Fulton hasn’t had the opportunity to speak with Johnson-Koulianos since receiving the Iowa offer, but he has started to build a relationship with the former Hawkeye.

“I’ve met him a few times and I’ve talked with him a few times,” Fulton said. “I keep in touch with him on social media and stuff like that because he sees the whole recruiting process going on for me now, so he’s following me a little bit through it, which is cool.”

Johnson-Koulianos was dismissed from the Iowa team late in his senior season in 2010 after being arrested on drug charges. But he played a significant role as a receiver and kick returner, and is Iowa's second all-time leading receiver with 2,616 yards on 173 receptions. 

Fulton said he plans to narrow his list during the spring and summer.

He also has scholarship offers from Akron, Army, Ball State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Kent State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio, Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple.