Pac-12 Football Recruiting: The Top 10 Recruits to Come Out of Utah During the Internet Age

The next installment of our look at the top recruits to ever come out of the various states of the Pac-12 region during the Internet age heads onto Utah.

1. Haloti Ngata DT Class of 2002 - Salt Lake City-Highland - Oregon

An absolute monster who looked like an NFL player in high school, Ngata was maybe the most coveted recruit in the Class of 2002 at any position and likely the best player to ever come out of the state of Utah. Ngata committed to BYU early but then opened up his recruitment and signed with Oregon after a heated process where it seemed like a number of schools had him in the fold. Ngata was a great player during his career and has gone on to be a perennial All-Pro and future Hall of Famer with the Ravens.

2. Cooper Bateman QB Class of 2013 - Salt Lake City-Cottonwood - Alabama

Bateman is a big-armed quarterback who can throw a great deep ball and was one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the Class of 2013. Bateman considered some schools out West like Washington and UCLA but ultimately couldn't turn down the opportunity to play for Alabama.

3. Lynn Katoa LB Class of 2008 - Salt Lake City-Cottonwood - Colorado

Katoa was a five-star prospect who was very similar to Manti Te'o in that he was big, instinctual, played with a lot of heart and was wanted by almost every school in the country. Surprisingly, Katoa turned down a number of elite national programs and ended up heading to Colorado. Unfortunately, Katoa had so many off-the-field problems that he never ended even playing at Colorado and was recently arrested in 2012.

4. John Martinez C Class of 2009 - Salt Lake City-Cottonwood - USC

Martinez was the top center in the Class of 2009 and one of the best run-blockers in the entire country. Martinez was recruited by a number of schools but ended up signing with USC who was still rolling in recruiting at the time. Martinez has seen a lot of time during the course of his career as a Trojan and is expected to have a big senior year in 2013.

5. Xavier Su'a-Filo G Class of 2009 - Provo-Timpview - UCLA

A smooth and athletic, big tackle that could move really well, Su'a-Filo was exactly the kind of offensive lineman that every school wants. He considered BYU and some national programs and ultimately ended up signing with UCLA. Su'a-Filo's career was a bit delayed by a mission, but he had a huge breakout season in 2012 and was named All-Pac-12 while paving the way for Johnathan Franklin.

6. Ricky Heimuli DT Class of 2010 - Salt Lake City-Brighton - Oregon

A big, run-stuffing defensive tackle with great athleticism, Heimuli was one of the most-wanted defensive linemen out West in 2010. A number of Pac-10 schools battled it out for Heimuli and Oregon ended up winning his signature on signing day. Heimuli has played quite a bit as a Duck throughout his career and is expected to be a key contributor in 2013.

7. Stanley Havili RB Class of 2006 - Salt Lake City-Cottonwood - USC

Big enough to play fullback, but fast enough and athletic enough to play running back, Havili was an interesting athlete and maybe the top "big back" in the Class of 2006. Havili considered BYU heavily but ended up signing with USC who hoped that he could become the next LenDale White. Havili had a good career at fullback for the Trojans and was taken in the seventh round of the draft after his college career and has carved out an NFL career.

8. Michael Affleck QB Class of 2003 - Provo-Timpview - Arizona State

Affleck was a massive quarterback prospect at 6'3 240 that was good enough to garner an offer from USC when they were in their 2000s prime but ended up going to Arizona State. Affleck got injured though and left Tempe before he played and transferred to BYU before finally ending up at Utah State.

9. Dallas Lloyd QB Class of 2010 - Pleasant Grove - Stanford

Lloyd was a dynamic athlete and duel-threat quarterback that had offers from all over the country and was one of the top quarterbacks out West in the Class of 2010. Lloyd only visited Stanford and ended up signing with them just as they were emerging as a power in the conference. Lloyd returned from a mission in 2012, but was unable to grab the starting quarterback spot vacated by Andrew Luck and is now likely buried behind Kevin Hogan.

10. Alex Cate QB Class of 2006 - Salt Lake City-Cottonwood - Oklahoma State

A gun-slinger from powerhouse Cottonwood, Cate was one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the nation in 2006. Cate signed with Oklahoma State over a number of national schools and local schools. Cate was stuck behind two star quarterbacks in Zac Robinson and Brandon Wheeden while a Cowboy and ended up finishing his career at Central Washington.

Others considered

Simi Fili (DT Class of 2007 - Salt Lake City-Cottonwood - Oregon), Austin Holt (TE Class of 2008 - South Jordan-Bingham - BYU), James Lark (QB Class of 2006 - St. George-Pineview - BYU), Harvey Langi (RB Class of 2011 - South Jordan-Bingham - Utah), Brian Soi (DT Class of 2003 - Provo-Timpview - BYU)