Notre Dame Pursued Sam Hartman For Only One Reason

Notre Dame pursued quarterback Sam Hartman because they feel a championship run is on the table

Notre Dame picked up a huge addition to the roster today when former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman announced his decision to transfer to play for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame set out to land a big time portal quarterback this offseason and Hartman gives them that.

Hartman will be at Notre Dame for just one season. One of the questions I've been asked over the last week when discussing the possibility of adding Hartman is about whether or not bringing in a transfer hurts the development of current sophomore Tyler Buchner. The thought being let Buchner start and develop in 2023, and then hopefully he'll be ready to hit his peak in 2024.

It's a fair question, but the reality is Notre Dame pushing for Hartman at quarterback makes a very clear statement, the Fighting Irish program under Marcus Freeman isn't going to focus on "wait until next year." This staff believes that if it can make a couple of improvements/additions to the current roster it has a chance to make a run at a championship.

That's the only reason to pursue a player like Hartman. 

Notre Dame could win a lot of games with Buchner in 2023, especially if he plays like he did in the bowl game. The problem, however, is that Buchner has yet to prove he can stay healthy, and there's no guarantee he'll be ready to be the kind of quarterback that can lead the Irish to a title in 2023. The potential for injury and the inconsistency would make a title run in 2023 a bit more challenging.

I'm a big believer in Buchner's talent, and I do believe if he can stay healthy and reach his full potential he has a chance to be a special player for Notre Dame. But his lack of development that comes from missing almost three full seasons in the last five years raises questions about whether or not he can be that guy for the Irish in 2023. 

If Notre Dame wants to compete for a championship in 2023 it needs big time quarterback play. That has often been lacking for Notre Dame over the last decade, and bringing in Hartman greatly enhances the chances that Notre Dame can get big time quarterback play.

Hartman, in this offense, with the supporting cast he'll have, with the defense he'll be playing with, has a chance to be special in an Irish uniform. Consider that in 2022, Wake Forest ranked 82nd nationally in scoring defense and 105th in sacks allowed per game on offense. The Deacons also ranked just 93rd in rushing offense. 

In 2021, when Wake Forest went 11-3, the Deacons ranked 88th in scoring defense, 70th in rushing offense and 92nd in sacks allowed. They needed every bit of Hartman's 4,228 passing yards and 50 total touchdowns (39 passing, 11 rushing) to win games.

The combination of poor offensive line play and the long mesh that Wake Forest uses has resulted in Hartman taking a ton of punishment over the years. Playing behind a very talented Notre Dame offensive line will be a huge benefit to Hartman, as will having a very potent ground attack that features one of the best running back groups in the country.

He threw to talented pass catchers in recent seasons, but the rest of the supporting cast was far below what he'll have at Notre Dame. Consider that in recent seasons with Hartman at quarterback Wake Forest had games where it scored 55 points, 53 points, 45 points, 42 points, 34 points and 31 points ..... and lost. I don't see that happening much at Notre Dame, if at all.

Imagine what Hartman could do as part of a program that ranked 39th in scoring defense, 40th in sacks allowed and 35th in rushing offense. Notre Dame should see a great deal of improvement in all three areas next season even without Hartman.

But there's the other potential at quarterback, what if Buchner beats him out? The two quarterbacks will battle in the spring, and although Hartman should be considered the frontrunner due to his experience and proven production - he is 19th in the history of college football in passing yards and 18th in passing touchdowns - Buchner is immensely talented and won't be easy to beat out.

If Buchner beats out Hartman it means that he has gone a long way towards reaching his full potential, which means he's developed into a quarterback that can make the game-changing plays we saw in the bowl game, but also one that has eliminated the turnovers that have plagued him, one that is throwing with more consistency, and one capable of hitting some of the easier throws he's missed in his three starts.

Either way, Notre Dame has now put itself in position to get big time quarterback play in 2023. That is a very, very key ingredient to Notre Dame getting into the College Football Playoff and putting a team on the field capable of winning a championship.

That is why Notre Dame made this move, they want to take their shot in 2023.

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