By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
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Kevin Costner's "Field of Dreams" immortalized the fictional conversation between Shoeless Joe Jackson and farmer Ray Kinsella, where Shoeless Joe asks, "Is this heaven?" Ray replies, "No, It's Iowa."
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For Marian Central Catholic standout offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga and other Illinois standouts, they may be one in the same.
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"I fell in love with Iowa the first time I went there," Bulaga said. "I loved the coaching staff, the campus, and the facilities. The tradition of offensive linemen at Iowa is also great. You can't find a better program for offensive linemen than Iowa."
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Bulaga, who has a total of 19 scholarship offers from top programs such as Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Notre Dame, is a standout on a Class 5A Marian Central Catholic team that struggled much of last season, and is looking to bounce back.
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In addition to the Hawkeyes' offensive line tradition, Iowa's passionate fan base also impressed Bulaga.
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"That's another big thing. Their fan base in Iowa is amazing. It's like a pro team. Such a great atmosphere there. I made about six or seven unofficial visits before I committed early in June, and I can't get enough of it," Bulaga said.
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Not too long after his commitment, Bulaga was delighted when he learned that noted Joliet Catholic linebacker Kevin Rouse was joining him in the Hawkeyes' 2007 recruiting class.
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"I'm happy to have a pretty good friend from Illinois committing to Iowa with me," Bulaga said.
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Rouse was similarly sold on Iowa, even before Iowa asked Bulaga to help bring him on board.
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"They asked me to talk to him, but when I did, in no way did I convince him, or have to persuade him. I told him that it was his choice for the next four or five years of his life, so do what was the best for him and make sure that it was something he was comfortable with," Bulaga recalled.
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Iowa may be continuing the pipeline from Illinois to Iowa City next season. The Hawkeyes are also looking at one of Bulaga's Marian Central Catholic teammates, fellow offensive lineman Sean Cwynar, an up-and-coming junior. The 6-3, 270-pound Cwynar attended a camp at Iowa along with Bulaga.
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"We talk about it all the time.ÿ He liked it a lot, and he'll have a great junior season," Bulaga said.
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Despite all the excitement of teaming up next year with fellow Illinois star Kevin Rouse and other Iowa recruits like Kansas linebacker Brian Smith, and local commitment Cody Hundertmark, Bulaga is remaining focused on engineering a solid senior campaign.
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"I want to make this the best time I could possibly have and win as many games as we can."
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Although Bulaga is still far from suiting up for the Hawkeyes next fall, the state of Iowa will surely be watching him this season with boundless anticipation.