Former Notre Dame safety Chris Badger seeks to transfer to BYU

The outlook for the secondary just got a little brighter for the BYU football team.  Chris Badger, an LDS returned missionary who redshirted for Notre Dame last year, is trying to transfer to BYU.  Chris must be accepted into classes at BYU, which begin this next Tuesday.

What Does He Need?

To play, Badger will need a waiver from the NCAA to get around the mandatory 1 year "football sabbatical" required to sit out for transferring.  Reports say that Badger wants to play in front of his ill mother, who is unable to travel for games.  He is requesting a waiver for reasons unrelated to football, which may allow for some sympathy from the NCAA.

Some History

The NCAA hasn't been kind to BYU in the past with the transfer rule, and neither have opposing coaches.  Norm Chow of Hawaii and Gary Patterson of TCU have both rejected waiver requests from players wanting to transfer to BYU.

Bronco Mendenhall on the other hand has freely allowed players to leave his program and even helped them find other schools to play at.  Tayo Fabuluje, ‘Juice’ Quezada, and Jake Heaps are all recent examples.

If Badger receives the waiver, the Cougars could see him on the field this fall and at the latest next year.

A Bit About Chris

Chris Badger served an LDS mission to Ecuador and was a 3-star ESPN recruit coming out of Timpview High School. He was listed as third on the depth chart on safety before deciding to transfer.