Badger tops those leaving Utah

Editor's note: This is the last in a series leading up to today's National Letter of Intent Day.

Former Timpview High safety Chris Badger wasn't intent on playing college football in a different state.

The first two scholarship offers he received came from Utah and BYU. He looked at both schools pretty hard, he said, but his decision came down to finding the right fit.

The right fit for the hard-hitting, instinctive and ball-hawking safety was the opportunity to wake up the echoes at the University of Notre Dame. Badger, who's already enrolled at Notre Dame and taking 17 credit hours this semester, will officially sign with the Fighting Irish Wednesday.

"It came down to having to make a tough choice and going with my gut feeling," Badger said earlier this week. "It came down to having a great opportunity to maybe play early, and play on a national stage in front of millions of people every week. It's a world-class institution."

Badger is one of at least four local players who will sign with out-of-state institutions Wednesday. Former Pleasant Grove quarterback Dallas Lloyd will sign to play at Stanford. Former Park City running back Dylan Chynoweth will sign with Navy. Former Cottonwood defensive back Kyle Aberton will sign with Yale. Another highly regarded local player, Brighton's Ricky Heimuli, may also leave the state. He has multiple offers and will announce his decision Wednesday.

Lloyd also had offers from Utah and BYU before committing to Stanford last summer. He has said that academics played a big role in his decision to the sign with the Pac-10 school, as well as the connection he made with the coaching staff.

"He fell in love with the school and the opportunities it looked like it offered," said Pleasant Grove coach Dale Sampson. "That was his first pick."

Stanford, ironically, was also Badger's first pick. He originally committed to The Cardinal before making a visit to South Bend, Ind., to see what the Fighting Irish offered last summer. It didn't take long for Badger to realize he wanted to wear Notre Dame's gold and blue and he switched commitments.

"It's something special," Badger said of the opportunity to play at Notre Dame. " 'Rudy' was my favorite movie growing up. The 'Play like a champion' sign, gold helmets ... they have fans everywhere."