Poachers are invading Utah and taking recruits like egg-stealing raccoons.

Our state can’t keep its growing football talent.

There was a time when high school star football players migrating out of state to play college ball was fairly rare.

“Probably one of the most fascinating storylines this year is how many players from Utah are leaving the state,” said Brandon Huffman, national recruiting director for Scout.

This year, some of Utah’s best high school football players will take their services to other area codes. You have Brighton’s Osa Masina committed to USC, Herriman’s Andre James headed to UCLA, Corner Canyon offensive lineman Branden Bowen committed to Ohio State, and Jordan quarterback Austin Kafentizis expected to sign at Wisconsin, to name a few.

It is now an official trend, one that neither the University of Utah, with its Pac-12 badge, nor BYU, with its traditional cultural draw, is stopping or slowing down.

The word is out. Utah’s got talent.

“It’s a number’s game,” said Brentt Eads, former Student Sports Magazine and ESPN recruiting analyst. “If you have five great players, you may get an Alabama coming in to look. But if you have 30 or 50, you are going to attract top recruiters who know how to recruit because it is worth their while. Utah’s population has grown and so have prospects.”

Huffman explains.

“It’s a strong year for in-state talent and the best players are either not giving Utah or BYU the time of day, or did early on and then were wooed elsewhere," he said. "You have to go down to the eighth- or ninth-best player in state to see one that either the Utes or Cougars could hold on to. I think the success of in-state players of late who have gone out of state (Xavier Su’a-Filo, Ricky Heimuli) has contributed to that. I think with the rising talent in Utah, more schools are prioritizing going into Utah to try to get them out. But its a concerning trend for both schools.

Back in 1974 when Bingham High Sports Illustrated cover boy Bruce Hardy decided to ignore Utah and BYU and sign with Arizona State, it was unique but not unexpected. Frank Kush had the Sun Devils atop the regional and national college football scene. The Cougars and Utes were struggling. LaVell Edwards was a rookie head coach. Although ASU had competed in the same conference (the old WAC), the program in Tempe was the dominant force in the league.

These days, Utah prep talent is getting recruited and picked over by a growing army of college coaches. We saw it a few years ago when Highland’s Haloti Ngata went to Oregon; it continued when Timpview’s Su’a-Filo signed at UCLA, all part of a growing trend.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was in Utah County this past week to recruit Salem Hills five-star defensive end Porter Gustin. USC coach Steve Sarkisian returned to the state where he played college ball to get a commitment from the state’s No. 1-ranked player, Masina.

We now see former Utah, USU and Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen hiring Ute assistant Kalani Sitake at Oregon State and they’ll be targeting Utah. The run on our state’s prep talent will only intensify in seasons to come. “The more recruiters who come in, the more the eyes of these players wander,” said Eads.

On one hand, you praise these talented guys for spreading their wings and landing with top-notch programs. On the other, you wonder what differences they’d make on local rosters and how fun it would be to see them stay in the state.

Bountiful running back Houston Heimuli will sign at Stanford. Deseret Hills defensive tackle Lausii Sewell will sign at Colorado, and teammate Gabe Sewell says he’ll go to Nevada with East High tackle Hausia Sekona.

Reasons for the flight are many. Coaches like Meyer have forged connections in Utah from the time they spent here. Recruiting is all about networking and that’s why Anderson and Sitake will remain big outside threats.

Eads said BYU recruits more nationally these days, as does Utah. Both have cast nets wider and that has left some local players looking outside the state. “Also, the Internet has allowed kids to do their homework and see what opportunities are out there to play,” he said.

As highlighted in a locally produced Sundance Film Festival documentary, there is enormous pressure on Polynesian youths to excel in football and obtain a lucrative NFL career. There is a feeling among some parents that if their sons go to USC or UCLA — some name school outside Utah — their chances will be greatly enhanced.

The proliferation of all-star camps like the Nike combines that dot the West Coast is a sponge that draws talent from all over the country. These combines are a perfect spot for recruiters to use as a reference because key data, weight-lifting measurables and 40-yard dash times are posted.

The growing popularity of the All-Poly Camp in Utah is drawing coaches from Power- conferences and exposure through social media has skyrocketed the information flow.

There has never been more ways to get a prospect’s highlight videos into the hands of recruiters than in 2015.

Utah is producing a growing truckload of talent, players who have put their names on the map and performed when tested.

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And that’s something we should be proud of.

Football in this state matters.

We don’t have to wish a pox on poachers.

Dick Harmon, Deseret News sports columnist, can be found on Twitter as Harmonwrites and can be contacted at dharmon@desnews.com.

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