BREAKING: Notre Dame lands Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman in transfer portal
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Over a week after he entered the transfer portal, Deacons’ quarterback Sam Hartman announced on Twitter that he will finish his college career at Notre Dame.
Onward. #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/cUfPyqQlQ6
— Sam Hartman (@sam_hartman10) January 5, 2023
Upon Hartman's entrance into the portal, it was reported that his destination would be Notre Dame, but that was not fully confirmed until his announcement Thursday.
According to a report by 247 Sports' Tom Loy, Hartman was on campus in South Bend on Jan. 4 and 5 visiting the Irish before making his decision.
Wake Forest will travel to South Bend in the 2023 season, meaning Hartman will suit up against his former team in his new stadium.
In his five-year career at Wake Forest, Hartman has thrown for 12,967 yards and 110 touchdowns. His passing yardage places him second in ACC history, only trailing Philip Rivers, and he is now the all-time ACC leader in passing touchdowns. Hartman also added 855 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground.
READ: Sam Hartman's best moments at Wake Forest
Last season, with a combined 50 touchdowns, which is tied for second in ACC history, Hartman led Wake Forest to an 11-3 record and their first ACC Championship appearance since 2006. Additionally, the Deacons reached a No. 10 rank in the AP Poll, their highest in program history.
2022 has been an up-and-down year for Hartman, especially considering his off the field injury that threatened his season. In early August, the redshirt junior was diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter Syndrome, a blood clot that puts pressure in the veins near his heart. As a result, Hartman had two surgeries, which kept him off the field for roughly a month.
After starting the season 3-0, Hartman shined for Wake Forest in a heartbreaking double-overtime against then No. 5 Clemson with a school-record six passing touchdowns. But, after reaching a No. 10 ranking for the second-straight season, Hartman and the Deacs embarked on a three-game losing streak, with the captain turning the ball over 10 times in that span.
After a redemption win against Syracuse on Senior Night, Hartman and Wake Forest lost in Durham to a Duke comeback, marking the first time the team has lost all three “Big 4” — Duke, North Carolina and NC State — games since 2015. Hartman finished the regular season with 3,701 passing yards and 38 touchdowns, along with 12 interceptions.
After not speaking with the media during the team’s three-game losing streak, Hartman returned to the podium ahead of the team’s Senior Night game against Syracuse. During the call, he reaffirmed a previously inferred decision — he would not return to Wake Forest for a sixth season.
“No shot,” Hartman said. “I think people are sick and tired [of me]. The media is ready to talk to someone new and get some new catch phrases — my one-week seasons and cliche answers. I want to test my luck and see what happens.”
The previously-held notion for Hartman’s future was a trip to the NFL Draft, but, with an unclear draft stock and NIL deals on the table, a different reality soon became possible. Hartman transferring for a sixth season was heavily discussed after head coach Dave Clawson’s comments in his bowl announcement press conference.
“Whatever decisions Sam makes, we support him,” Clawson said. “When the bowl game is over, if there's some incredible offer for him to go to another school and get life-changing money, how can we fault him for that?”
READ: NC A&T linebacker Jacob Roberts commits to Wake Forest
Hartman will immediately step into a starting role for the Irish. After being named the starter as a sophomore, Tyler Buchner played in two games with Notre Dame this year, combining for no touchdowns and two interceptions in losses to Ohio State and Marshall. He then went down with an injury and was replaced by Drew Pyne, who tossed for 2,021 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions, leading the Irish back to an 8-4 record. But, Pyne announced his transfer to Arizona State on Dec. 19, leaving Notre Dame in search of a new quarterback.
With Hartman departing for South Bend, a new QB1 will take over the reigns of the offense for Wake Forest. Presumably, that will be rising redshirt sophomore Mitch Griffis, who won the starting job over Michael Kern after Hartman’s injury. In the opening game of the season, Griffis led the Deacons to a 44-10 victory over VMI with 288 passing yards and three touchdowns.
“Mitch played really well,” Clawson said after the VMI win. “He’s a good football player and we’re going to need him. We can win a lot of games with Mitch.”
He also threw a touchdown each in relief duty against Army and Louisville.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.