Former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman has transferred to Notre Dame, the redshirt junior announced on Twitter Thursday. Hartman's move comes one week after he formally entered the transfer portal. Hartman joins the Irish after a stellar career with the Demon Deacons in which he threw for nearly 13,000 yards and 110 touchdown, the latter of which set an ACC record.
The Charlotte native won the starting job as a true freshman at Wake and has contributed nearly every year of his career. The rising senior will have one year of eligibility remaining at Notre Dame, but he immediately enters 2023 as one of the top QBs in the nation.
Hartman played five seasons with the Deacons after signing as part of the Class of 2018. His best campaign was in 2021 when he threw for 4,228 yards and 39 touchdowns as Wake finished with 11 wins capturing the ACC Atlantic title and a victory in the Gator Bowl. This season, he threw for 3,701 yards and 38 touchdowns, leading the Deacons to a win in the Gasparilla Bowl.
The Fighting Irish struggled with quarterback injuries in coach Marcus Freeman's first season. Drew Pyne, who started most of the 2022 campaign, transferred to Arizona State upon the conclusion of the regular season. While Hartman will only have one year in South Bend, Indiana, it should be a significant opportunity for him to build his NFL Draft case heading into the 2024 draft.
Hartman can take Notre Dame to next level
Tyler Buchner was Notre Dame's opening day starter, but a shoulder injury suffered in Week 2 vs. Marshall ended his regular season and allowed Pyne to take over. However, Buchner started the Gator Bowl vs. South Carolina and led the Irish to a 45-38 win. Buchner had a wild afternoon, throwing for 273 yards, rushing for 61 yards, tossing three touchdowns and running for two more scores ... but he also had three interceptions, including a 100-yard pick six. It was a roller coaster of emotions in his third game of the season.
Hartman can stabilize things for Freeman heading into his second season at the helm. Great coaches build a culture of competition that is required to win at the highest level, and Hartman's presence will raise the bar for Buchner and the rest of the quarterbacks on the Notre Dame roster.
We know Hartman's upside. We've seen it for the last five seasons. We also know that Bucnher's ceiling is high as well. However, his floor is significantly lower than that of Hartman. The two quarterbacks will push each other during this offseason which will trickle down to the rest of the roster. Great teams have players who fight for their jobs atop the depth chart as hard in the offseason as they do in the regular season. Hartman's transfer will set that tone.
Where does Wake Forest go?
Clawson's offense allowed Hartman to set himself up for success at an even higher level at Notre Dame. Basically, it served the role of a minor league baseball team and Hartman got called up to the bigs. That doesn't mean that the Deacons are destined for a downfall. Clawson's offense, combined with Hartman's ability to prove his worth on a big stage, will be attractive to transfer quarterbacks either already in the portal now or when the next window opens on May 1.
Rising sophomore Mitch Griffis threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opening win over VMI, and he will likely get the first crack at the top spot on the depth chart. Will he stay there? This will be his fourth year with the program, so he has had plenty of time to become familiar with the offense.
