Wake Forest Football: Quarterbacks Preview
It never hurts to have a deep quarterback room, as the Demon Deacons have already learned this summer. With Sam Hartman out for an undisclosed amount of time, at least one backup behind him will be starting under center this year. Let’s take a look at Hartman, Griffis, and the guys behind them.
Sam Hartman
Without Hartman, perhaps the best passer in school history, this team will not be the same. Wake Forest is losing a player who threw for 4,228 yards last season, good for seventh in all of college football. He also accounted for 50 touchdowns, second-best in ACC history (Lamar Jackson had 51 in 2016). The uncertainty of his return timeline is the main storyline as Wake begins their season. DraftKings has lowered the line on Wake Forest’s season win total to just 6.5 games.
“Sam has not been cleared yet,” head coach Dave Clawson made clear in his press conference yesterday. “We feel that he’s been progressing well, but this will be a decision made by doctors when they feel it’s safe and appropriate for him to play. That has not occurred yet.”
In Hartman’s place is redshirt freshman Mitch Griffis. A third-year player out of Ashburn, VA, Griffis has played in eight games with the Demon Deacons, four each in his first two seasons. He threw a touchdown against Clemson as a true freshman.
Griffis has performed well in fall camp as the new starter. His arm strength is very good for a redshirt freshman, and he has quick enough feet to handle the slow-mesh offense. After being on the skinnier side to begin his career at Wake Forest, Griffis has filled out and looks more prepared for the physicality of the ACC.
“He does such a good job,” Michael Kern, who lost the quarterback battle to Griffis, said. “He’s a hard worker. We’ve been supporting each other the entire way and I’m proud of him.”
Clawson emphasized in several stadium practices that Griffis got better on a daily basis, gaining confidence with each throw.
“[At times] it’s been a little bit shaky,” Clawson said. “Then, he had a great practice. I mean he was just throwing darts. He's going to be fine. The moment won't be too big for him. He's got to take command [with his] attitude. He has a lot of confidence.”
Michael Kern
Behind Griffis is Kern, a redshirt sophomore. For some time, Kern was reportedly above Griffis on the depth chart, but now, he stands at QB2 with Hartman out. He has appeared in 11 games in his three seasons with the Demon Deacons. Last season, he contributed meaningfully in the Clemson game.
Trailing by 14 against the Tigers, Kern was forced to enter the game when Hartman lost his helmet on a sack. Instead of the traditional backup quarterback handoff, Kern attacked, throwing a 58-yard dart to A.T. Perry, injecting life into the Wake Forest offense and putting the team in position to score.
Kern’s boasts legit speed with his legs and elusiveness with his skinny 6’2”, 190-pound frame.
"Michael Kern is a great athlete," Clawson said. "He's capable of making plays with his feet."
Those traits will make him a viable option should Griffis get hurt or underperform. Should that happen, Kern wants to make sure he’s ready.
“[We need to] just keep our foot on the gas,” Kern said of himself and Griffis. “Just keep moving forward. We’ll support each other in everything we do, and if we do that, we're definitely going to be okay. Sam [Hartman] did such a good job with us getting us ready. We're very confident moving forward.
Brett Griffis
The third-stringer is someone quite familiar to the aforementioned Griffis — his brother Brett. The true freshman was the All-Region Offensive Player of the Year at Broad Run High School, leading his team to a Region Championship. The three-star recruit enrolled early in the spring and has looked solid in fall camp for his age and experience.
Santino Marucci
Lastly, the current fourth-stringer, Santino Marucci, was initially moved to running back and linebacker because of a rather full quarterback room, but with Hartman’s injury, he was brought back into the fold. The redshirt freshman played six snaps last year against Norfolk State.
