A look back at the 2010 top 10 in-state prospects
Scott Eklund
Looking back at the top 10 in-state players from the 2010 recruiting class...
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247Sports
Coming from a new program like Glacier Peak, Froland took some time to garner the attention of schools, but once they got a look at the 6'5", 250-pounder in action, they came flocking to the Snohomish area to recruit the big defensive lineman. Froland initially chose Northwestern, but wound up opening things up and committing to Colorado State where he signed in early 2010.

After redshirting as a freshman in 2010, Froland won the starting gig at defensive tackle for CSU in spring football and wound up starting 10 of his team's 11 games and finishing with 34 tackles (eight solo), 3.5 tackles-for-loss, half a sack and one forced fumble. A very good student, Froland also earned First Team All-Academic honors following the season as well.

He suffered a "stinger" in the first week of the 2012 football season and missed most of the rest of the year, eventually retiring after being unable to get completely healthy.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Froland...

"Originally a Northwestern commit who flipped to Colorado State, Froland made an early impact for the Rams but injuries slowed a promising start in Fort Collins."

If he were playing today, Waters would have been, hands down, one of the top RUSH END/BUCK linebacker prospects in the region. Waters was a beast off the edge for Lakes and had offers from a handful of schools for his efforts as a tight end while a few others, including Washington, offered him as a defensive end. Waters' talents as a pass-rusher and a tight end helped lead the Lancers to a 12-1 record and a berth in the 3A state semifinals his senior year. At 6'1" and 227 pounds, Waters wasn't very big, but he was strong and he could run really well which allowed him to track down plays on the opposite side of the field. Waters struggled with his academics and was unable to qualify to get into Washington, the school he signed with, so he wound up heading to one of the top JUCO programs in the West at the time, Arizona Western. He didn't do much with the Matadors and never wound up playing football at a four-year school to our knowledge.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Waters...

"A two-way prospect, Waters had offers as a tight end, but ultimately focused on defense. Academics slowed his career."

Riva was one of the more celebrated offensive linemen Washington brought in during the 2010 recruiting cycle, a group of six linemen that was tagged as the "Cascade Front". As a senior, Riva was named to the 3A All-State First Team while also being named a First Team All-State (all classifications) offensive linemen by the Seattle Times. He was also named the Metro League Mountain Division Offensive Lineman of the Year while helping lead O'Dea to a 9-2 record and a berth in the state playoffs. Following his senior season, Riva signed with Washington after spurning offers from the likes of Washington State, Oregon State and several other schools.

During his five years on Montlake, Riva wound up being a three-year starter for the Huskies at right tackle although he missed chunks of time due to various injuries.

Since his Husky career wrapped up following the 2014 season, he's started a career as a trader on Wall Street.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Riva...

"Riva is another player who injuries robbed of his good years with the Huskies. He played on the offensive line and had a lot of upside, but seemed to have injury issues of some sort each year."

At 6'4" and over 300 pounds, Porter was a highly sought-after offensive line prospect who had offers from schools from across the spectrum. As a senior in high school, Porter was named First Team 4A All-State and was also named First Team All-State (all classifications) by the Seattle Times and was named the Kingco 4A Crown Division's Offensive Co-MVP and was also a First Team All-Kingco tackle as well.

Once he arrived at Washington, Porter showed up as the "most ready" to start playing and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup, starting six games during his freshman season and all 13 games during his sophomore season.

In the spring of 2012, Porter appeared to be on the way toward All-Conference recognition, but arthritis in both of is shoulders halted him in his tracks and he wound up retiring after having playing in just 23 games.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Porter...

"My favorite lineman in the state in that class and one of the top linemen in the West. Sadly, injuries derailed a promising career because he was destined to be a star for the Huskies."

Dunn appeared to be headed for quite a bit of acclaim as a recruit until a knee injury in his junior season derailed that. Instead, he wound up being a solid three-star prospect who chose to stick close to home and sign with the Washington State Cougars. At 6'5" and 220 pounds, Dunn was a great fit as "move" tight end who could be a great redzone target. Dunn was also and accomplished basketball player and after two injury riddled seasons in Pullman where he played in just 10 games, making one start, he decided to end his football career and transfer to Western Washington where he played basketball for Vikings although, research does not pull up a profile or any stats for him during his time in Bellingham.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Dunn...

"A two-sport star, a knee injury his junior year slowed him and he never quite recovered the athleticism and explosiveness he had prior to the injury . He then transferred to Western Washington to play basketball."

Besides Keauntea Bankhead, there may not have been a more explosive defensive prospect from the state of Washington than Young who blew up ball carries and was a tackling machine for Auburn coming out of high school. As a senior, Young starred on both sides of the ball for the Trojans, amassing 1,424 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns as a tailback on the offensive side of the ball and posting 78 tackles, two sacks, one fumble recovery and a blocked punt on the defensive side of the ball. He committed to Washington and signed with them, but was unable to qualify, so he headed to Arizona Western where he was a star, finishing his sophomore season (2011) with 111 tackles, 30 tackles-for-loss, 8.5 sacks, five fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and two interceptions and he scored six defensive touchdowns. He was named the Western States Football League Defensive Player of the Year and was a First-Team All-American and was also the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

After his sophomore season was complete, Young had offers from a handful of schools, but wound up signing with Arizona State where he started all 27 games, earning Second Team All-Pac 12 honors in 2013 and was awarded the Ron Pritchard Outstanding Linebacker Award at the 2013 team banquet. His 82 tackles in 2012 were the third-most by an ASU junior college transfer in his first season since the turn of the century.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Young...

"As physical a player as you'll find in the Northwest. Grades ended his opportunity to go to Washington, but he stayed the course and ultimately ended up in the Pac-12 at Arizona State."

Kearse, whose older brother Jermaine was a star receiver at Lakes and then the University of Washington, was a big-time talent with size, speed and athleticism. As a senior, Kearse was named First Team 3A All-State as a defensive back and also earned First Team All-State (all classifications) from the Seattle Times while helping lead Lakes to a 12-1 overall record and a trip to the 3A state semifinals. He had offers from most of the Pac 10 conference (at the time it was still known as the Pac 10) including UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Oregon State, but the three-star prospect chose Washington.

Once on campus, Kearse was moved to linebacker where he was a contributor as well as on the coverage units where he posted 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown against Utah in Salt Lake City.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Kearse...

"Wasn't the athlete or player his older brother was and his recruitment was always pointing to Washington where he'd play with Jermaine but wasn't Jermaine."

Potoa'e was the first four-year, varsity starter at Lakes since 1963 and helped lead Lakes to a 12-1 record and a 3A state semifinals as a senior in 2009. For his efforts, Potoa'e amed a First Team 3A All-State defensive lineman and to the Seattle Times All-State team (all classifications). He was also selected as a first-team All-SPSL selection on both the offensive and defensive lines and was a two-time Tacoma News Tribune All-Area selection as a junior and senior.

Potoa'e had offers from quite a few schools including USC, UCLA, Oklahoma and Michigan, among others, but he eventually signed with Washington and represented them in the Army All-American Game (now called the Adidas All-American Game) as well.

In 2010, Potoa'e was one of 14 true freshmen to start for the Huskies in 2010 and he played in 22 of his team's 26 games as a freshman and sophomore. During his junior and senior seasons, Potoa'e struggled with knee injuries and never fully realized his potential.

Following his graduation from Washington, Potoa'e began coaching at his alma mater (Lakes), but now is playing professional rugby.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Potoa'e...

"An Army All-American, but a player who for whatever reason, just didn't develop under Steve Sarkisian's staff and didn't live up to the high school rating."

Heaps was one of the best quarterback prospects to come out of the state in quite some time. After sitting behind and established starter as a freshman at then-powerhouse Skyline High School on the Sammamish Plateau, Heaps went on to become a one of the most prolific passers in state history, throwing for 9,196 yards and 114 touchdowns while leading the Spartans to the 3A state title in 2007 and 4A titles in 2008 and 2009.

Heaps had offers from most of the country, including Washington, but opted to sign with BYU.

As a true freshman, Heaps shared starting duties quarterback Riley Nelson. After Nelson was lost to injury in the second game of the season, Heaps took over and led the Cougars the rest of the season to six wins and four losses.

In his sophomore season, Heaps was named the starter, but was benched for Nelson and started on-and-off the rest of the way.

Following the 2011 season, Heaps decided to move to Kansas where he had to sit out a season (2012). Following the 2013 season, Heaps lost the starting quarterback job to Montell Cozart during an open competition and decided to transfer to Miami for his senior season where he was a backup to Brad Kaaya and played in just three games.

In his four seasons of college football, Heaps wound up going 497 of 908 (54.7%) for 5,233 yards, 32 touchdowns, 27 interceptions and a 108.8 QB rating.

He saw time in the NFL on the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks' practice squads, but now is the lead instructor for the Russell Wilson Football Academy and a commentator for the morning show on KIRO 710.

Here's how 247's Brandon Huffman remembers Heaps...

"Was the top quarterback prospect in the class, choosing BYU over offers from schools like hometown Washington, Notre Dame, Tennessee, USC and many more. Started as a true freshman at BYU, winning Bowl Game MVP honors, but a change at OC his sophomore year slowed his progression and then he transferred to Kansas before grad transferring to Miami. Spent time in the NFL with the Jets and Seahawks"

When you look back at the 2010 class overall, some of the top performers were players outside of the top 10.

Foss (Tacoma) DL Scott Crichton, ranked 13th in the state, probably had the biggest impact on his team once he got to college (Oregon State), finishing with 165 tackles, 22.5 sacks, 51 tackles-for-loss, 10 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and a two blocked kicks. He went on to be drafted in the third round by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2014 NFL Draft, but concussions shortened his pro career.

Heritage (Vancouver) QB Garrett Grayson, ranked 14th, also had a big impact with his team, Colorado State, once he set foot on campus, finishing his career as three-year starter, setting the program record with 3,696 passing yards in 2013, and finishing with 9,190 yards passing, 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. Grayson was drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He eventually was waived and had a couple more years in the league with Atlanta and Denver before retiring from the NFL officially this past summer.

Wilson (Tacoma) DL Xavier Cooper enjoyed a very nice career with Washington State, appearing in 36 games, starting 34 consecutive games to finish of his three seasons as a starter. He recorded 121 tackles, 31.5 tackles-for-loss and 13 sacks. He was drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns where he was a part-time player. He eventually had stints in San Francisco and with the New York Jets before being waived before the start of the 2018 football season.

Ferris (Spokane) QB Connor Halliday, ranked 22nd in the state, started games for Washington State in every season after he redshirted in 2010. His best season with the Cougars was in 2014 when he started nine games before being injured. During his senior season, Halliday set the single-game passing yardage record in FBS history, throwing for 734 yards in a loss to Cal. Patrick Mahomes, of Texas Tech, tied the record in 2016. He finished his Washington State career with 11,308 yards passing with 90 touchdowns and 50 interceptions.

Bothell TE Michael Hartvigson, who was ranked outside the top 30 in the state, signed with Washington.

Skyline (Sammamish) LB Cooper Pelluer, ranked 21st in the state, signed with Washington.

Bothell TE/DE Evan Hudson, randed outside the top 30 in the state, signed as a walk-on with Washington.