Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman, the 24-year-old quarterback who boasts 45 career starts and nearly 1,600 pass attempts from five seasons at Wake Forest, is certain to bring some new wrinkles to the Fighting Irish’s offense in 2023.
Will Hartman’s Experience Be Enough?
Hartman’s unique blend of experience and commanding presence has fans, the coaching staff, and teammates brimming with excitement. While running the ball effectively will always be a priority in head coach Marcus Freeman’s system, Notre Dame should be far more balanced on offense this season with Hartman under center. The offense will also be more than capable of explosive, big plays downfield.
Notre Dame has not had a quarterback as statistically accomplished as Hartman since Brady Quinn (2003-06). Quinn, who tops the Notre Dame record books, threw for 11,762 yards in his stellar collegiate career in South Bend. He owns records for career touchdowns (95), single-season touchdowns (37), single-season yards (3,919), and single-game touchdowns (6). In comparison, Hartman started 45 games at Wake Forest, going 27-18, with 12,967 passing yards and 110 touchdowns. He also boasts more 300-yard passing games than any other signal-caller in ACC history.
“At some point (you have to) start doing some RPOs,” Freeman said to Irish Breakdown. “Instead of just saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to run the ball when we want, we’re going to put the defense in a run-pass conflict.’ That’s something that we’ve really implemented in the spring, saying, ‘OK, let’s stop trying to block this extra defender, and let’s just read them.’”
Complementing the Ground Game
With Hartman at the helm, Notre Dame’s passing game should prove to be a stronger complement to the team’s solid ground attack. Leading the way out of the backfield is the powerful Audric Estime, who rushed for 935 yards on 156 carries a year ago. The junior running back scored 11 times in 2022 and averaged 5.9 yards a carry. Estime and Hartman should be able to count on a stout offensive line this season. Ranked as the fifth-best returning unit in the country by Lindy’s Sports, the offensive line is anchored by premier junior tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, and center Zeke Correll, a fifth-year senior. Alt and Hartman are both ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 Players list for the 2023 college football season.
Hartman probably could have been a late-round NFL draft pick for 2023. He chose the transfer portal and Notre Dame to help boost his stock. After running a mix of RPO and the slow-mesh offense in Winston-Salem, Hartman was hearing from NFL scouts that they wanted to see him run more of a pro-style attack.
Hartman Winning Over the Locker Room
While acclimating to his new surroundings, Hartman is winning over the Notre Dame locker room. Hartman’s experience under the lights in prime-time situations is certain to return dividends for Notre Dame’s offense. The Fighting Irish will need Hartman’s game awareness, especially against the likes of top-ranked teams Ohio State (Sept. 23), USC (Oct. 14), and Clemson (Nov. 4).
“His personality and his leadership, it’s been in the spotlight since day one,” Notre Dame senior linebacker Jack Kiser told The Athletic. “He can be the game-changer that he has been.”
A new era in Notre Dame football dawns with hopeful anticipation. With any luck, Hartman will pick up where he left off at Wake Forest, giving the Irish faithful much to look forward to this season.
Photo courtesy: John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK
