He won't be the biggest or fastest guy in the Notre Dame football team's secondary, but Chris Badger has all the tools to make an impact.

"He makes big plays," said CBS College Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. "He's a good catch for Notre Dame. He's a winner."

Badger, a 6-fowot, 190-pound strong safety, who will be a senior at Timpview High School verbally committed to the Irish Monday, the South Bend Tribune reported Monday.

Badger, who had originally committed to Stanford in March, became the ninth player in the 2010 recruiting class to give his word to coach Charlie Weis.

"He's a student of the game," Timpview coach Louis Wong said of Badger. "When he's on the field, he looks for every advantage. His work ethic is excellent. He's a smart player. He's physical. He's able to make that play off the perimeter."

Badger runs a 4.65 40-yard dash.

"He's a pretty good prospect," Lemming said of Badger. "He makes a lot of tackles."

— South Bend Tribune