Our Local High School Football Star

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Luke Fulton, our local high school football star. Luke is a senior at Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio and is ranked No. 23 inside linebacker in the United States. He is No. 26 overall (all positions) in Ohio.

Luke received over 30 offers from many of the most outstanding schools in the country. He spent his junior year visiting universities so he would be able to make a decision before his senior year of high school. He and his dad made a 1000+ mile trip over Spring Break so he could visit a few of the schools that most interested him. Fulton says he knew he wanted to make a decision early so he could just enjoy his senior year. This is one smart and talented young man!

Michigan State was a top contender from the beginning and won Fulton over when he made his third visit to campus. His previous trips to visit the Spartans had been with his dad, and he wanted his mom and younger brothers to also weigh in on Michigan State.  He said as soon as he got to the campus, he knew he wanted to commit. His family is behind him 100%, and that is important to Luke. Michigan State is just a little over four hours from Luke’s hometown of Poland, so it is an easy day trip. That will come in handy for his parents when he is playing college ball and his younger brothers are playing Friday night high school football.

Luke’s favorite NFL team is the Pittsburgh Steelers and his favorite NFL player is Luke Kuechly, linebacker for the Carolina Panthers. Kuechly is the number one linebacker in the NFL, hails from Ohio and is an awesome player for Fulton to look up to. The two Luke’s have more in common than their position: they both have the drive and talent it takes to be the best of the best.

Cardinal Mooney is a powerhouse team. The players are more mature mentally and physically than the average high school football player. Mooney coaches are also a level up from average, and expect more from their team. The level of competition that Luke has seen while playing at Mooney has helped prepare him for college.

I asked Luke if he knows what his college major will be. His dad is a cardiothoracic surgeon, so I thought that might influence him to go into the medical field, but he is not yet sure where his studies will take him. Fulton is well-spoken and polite. He is self-assured without being at all pretentious. He is gracious and appreciative. He can accomplish anything he sets his mind to.

When asked if he plans to try to go on and play for the NFL, Fulton says “Why not!”.  My kind of thinking, kid: ‘Why not!’ is right!  Luke says they have already talked about the incredibly low percentage of high school football players that go on to play in college, and if he can overcome those odds, then why not go on to play in the NFL?

One thing we do know is that we will be cheering Luke Fulton on in everything he does. The Cardinal Mooney football season kicks off on Friday, August 24th and we will be at as many games as possible. We can’t wait to see where Luke’s talent and hard work will take him. The sky is the limit!