Pac-12 Football Recruiting: The 10 Best Recruits to Come out of Colorado During the Internet 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 our final destination of Colorado.

* On this and all in the series. These aren't factoring the recruits college careers - just their stock coming out of high school.

1. Jeff Byers C Class of 2004 - Loveland - USC

Byers was regarded by some as the best player at any position in the Class of 2004 and was generally considered the best offensive lineman in the class at least. Byers considered a number of national programs and gave Ohio State and Texas a hard lock before taking USC who was just starting to hit the peak of their 2000s dynasty. Byers started all over the USC line and had a very solid career before going into the NFL as an undrafted free agent and carving out a career.

2. Chris Martin LB Class of 2010 - Aurora-Grandview - Florida

Martin was a five-star prospect and one of the top rated outside linebackers/defensive ends in the country in 2010 and was hotly pursued by a ton of big time programs all around the country. Martin surprised for a while by committing to Cal but ended up signing with Florida who was rolling at the time. Martin has had a difficult college career thus far as he left Florida due to personal troubles before ending up at a junior college and signing with Kansas with the chance to start playing next season.

3. Ryan Miller T Class of 2007 - Littleton-Columbine - Colorado

Miller had a dream body for an offensive lineman coming out of high school as he was 6'8 280 and teams from all around the country took note. Miller considered going to Notre Dame and some other premier national schools, but ended up staying home and signed with the Buffs, becoming one of the best prospects that they have signed in recent history. Miller was held back by injuries a bit and played for a lot of bad Colorado teams, but used his potential to get drafted by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

4. Nick Kasa DE Class of 2009 - Broomfield-Legacy - Colorado

A physical freak, Kasa was a 6'7 235 defensive end/tight end who could really move and make plays all over the field. Kasa was recruited by big time programs from all over the country including Florida and Oregon, but ended up being a huge score for the Buffs and staying at home. Kasa started out as a defensive end, but ended up moving to tight end during his junior season and played well as a senior before being taken by the Raiders in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

5. LenDale White RB Class of 2003 - Littleton-Chatfield - USC

White was a huge back coming out of high school at 6'1 225 that also had ridiculous speed for his size and was one of the best backs to ever come out of the state of Colorado. White could have went just about anywhere in the country and considered running back factories Michigan and Texas before signing with USC who also signed Reggie Bush and Chauncey Washington in the same class. White had a phenomenal career at USC and broke the career rushing touchdown record before declaring for the draft early and being drafted by the Titans in the second round of the draft. White had a promising start to his career, but was quickly derailed by the "Patron diet" and is now out of the league.

6. Calais Campbell DE Class of 2004 - Denver-South - Miami

At 6'8 230, Campbell was one of the most interesting athletes to ever come out of Colorado and was one of the top rated defensive ends in the country, but could have played a number of positions at the next level. Campbell fielded offers from all over the country and ended up choosing Miami over a number of elite programs. In college, Campbell was able to add on a lot of weight and became one of the best defensive ends in college football and a very intimidating player. Campbell left Miami at 300 pounds and had an ideal body for an NFL defensive lineman coming out of college which led to him being taken in the second round by the Cardinals.

7. Cyler Miles QB Class of 2012 - Denver-Mullen - Washington

Miles was one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the country back in 2012 and was the MVP of the Army All-American Bowl. Miles committed to Washington early and held onto his pledge despite late pleadings by USC. Miles redshirted as a freshman at Washington.

8. Chris Fox G Class of 2013 - Parker-Ponderosa - Michigan

Fox might have been the top linemen in Pac-12 country in the Class of 2013 and is a classic guard that is tough, can move and get after it. Fox committed to Michigan rather early in the process and ended up signing with the Wolverines.

9. Butch Lewis T Class of 2006 - Aurora-Regis Jesuit - USC

Lewis was one of the best linemen in the Class of 2006 and definitely had the offers to show for it. Lewis considered a bunch of heavy hitters like Notre Dame, Miami, LSU and Georgia and ended up signing with USC. Lewis wasn't a star at USC, but had a solid career and has made NFL teams as a free agent.

10. Lamarr Houston Jr. DT Class of 2006 - Colorado Springs-Doherty - Texas

Houston was a very interesting athlete who at 6'2 260 and athletic could have played a number of positions, but ended up at defensive tackle. Houston had serious offers and ended up signing with Texas over the likes of USC, Michigan, Nebraska and others. Houston was a standout on the defensive line for the Longhorns and ended up being taken by the Raiders in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft with whom he has played ever since.

Others considered

Brendon Austin (T Class of 2011 - Parker-Chaparral - Stanford), Nolan Brewster (S Class of 2008 - Denver-Mullen - Texas), Zach Latimer (DE Class of 2002 - Aurora-Gateway - Oklahoma), Jon Major (LB Class of 2008 - Parker-Ponderosa - Colorado), Steve Watson (TE Class of 2007 - Denver-Mullen - Michigan)