Pac-12 Football Recruiting: The 10 Best Recruits From Idaho and Montana of the Internet Recruiting Era

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 Idaho and Montana which we have lumped together. Also considered including Alaska and Wyoming, but they simply don't produce enough players to include.

1. Tanner Mangum QB Class of 2012 - Eagle, ID - BYU

Mangum was a well-regarded quarterback heading into his senior year, but then went to the Elite 11 and absolutely tore it up, making him one of the top quarterbacks in the Class of 2012. Mangum committed very early to BYU and never really wavered throughout the process. He has yet to play at BYU, but there is still a lot of excitement around his future.

2. Carson York T Class of 2007 - Couer d'Alene, ID-Lake City - Oregon

Big, polished, linemen of York's caliber simply rarely come out of the Idaho and Montana area so he quickly became a hot prospect for all of the Northwest schools. York had offers from all over the Pac-10, but only visited Oregon and ended up signing there. York ended up having a great career at Oregon but sadly had an injury that kept him out of his final year and ended his NFL aspirations.

3. Taysom Hill QB Class of 2009 - Pocatello, ID-Highland - Stanford

Hill is probably the most athletic quarterback to come out of Idaho and his ability to make plays with his arm and his feet made him one of the most coveted quarterbacks on the West Coast in 2009. Hill ended up signing with Stanford, but ended up at BYU after his mission. He immediately got action as a freshman in 2012 and looks like he could be the Cougars' quarterback of the future.

4. Brock Osweiler QB Class of 2009 - Kalispell, MT-Flathead - Arizona State

It's rare that quarterbacks of Osweiler's size come along at 6'8, so his height alone garnered a lot of attention, along with the fact that he was once committed to Gonzaga to play basketball. Osweiler had an offer to play for Stanford, but headed to Tempe to play for Arizona State. Osweiler started at Arizona State off and on for three years and had his best season as a junior before taking off a year early and being drafted by the Broncos in the second round.

5. Cody Hawkins QB Class of 2006 - Boise, ID-Bishop Kelly - Colorado

Hawkins may have gotten some extra hype because of his Dad Dan, but regardless, he was one of the highest-rated quarterbacks out West. It was no surprise that Hawkins ended up at Colorado, where his Dad was, but he did have some other nice offers. Hawkins started for much of his career at Colorado but never really excelled on a number of poor Colorado teams.

6. Taylor Kelly QB Class of 2010 - Eagle, ID - Arizona State

Kelly was a dynamic quarterback who wasn't the most strong-armed QB, but a winner and a playmaker. Kelly's only really big offer was Arizona State and he followed in the footsteps of fellow Idahoan Jake Plummer and signed with the Sun Devils. Kelly actually followed Osweiler and was one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12 in 2012 and has high expectations for 2013.

7. Josh Roberts K Class of 2002 - Malta, MT - Oklahoma

This one is digging way back, but Roberts was given five stars by Scout back in 2002 and was one of the top-rated kickers in the country. Roberts showed his worth by getting an offer from powerhouse Oklahoma who he ended up signing with. Shockingly Roberts actually did not end up playing for the Sooners and instead moved to New York to pursue a career on Broadway.

8. Billy Sanders TE Class of 2009 - Couer d'Alene, ID-Lake City - Miami

It takes a lot to of skill for a football player all the way up in Couer d'Alene to draw the attention of Miami and earn an offer, but Sanders did just that and signed with the Hurricanes. Sanders never really played early in his career and has since left the team.

9. Eric Cotton TE Class of 2013 - Nampa, ID-Columbia - Stanford

A talented pass-catching tight end, Cotton was one of the more higher-rated tight ends out West in 2013 and earned some impressive offers. Cotton jumped on the best of his offers and signed with the Cardinal who are known for now producing top tight ends.

10. Cody Carriger DE Class of 2012 - Butte, MT - Oregon

Carriger was a very interesting athlete at 6'6 230 and grabbed the attention of both Oregon and Washington. Carriger committed to Oregon rather quickly in hopes of becoming the next great Duck pass-rusher and redshirted in 2012.

Others considered

Brandon Hanna (LB Class of 2007 Couer d'Alene, ID-Lake City - Oregon), Brady Leaf (QB Class of 2003 Great Falls, MT-Russell - Oregon), Casey McMillan (DT Class of 2008 Billings, MT-Central Catholic - Iowa), Matt Miller (WR Class of 2010 Helena, MT-Capital - Boise State), Brent Russum (T Class of 2004 Lewiston, ID - Arizona State)