Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt: Sam Hartman cleared to return after medical issue

Sam Hartman will return to Wake Forest in time for the Week 2 game

Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman will return to the football field sooner than expected from a non-football medical condition.

Medical experts have cleared Hartman to return to action in time for Wake's game at Vanderbilt on Saturday, the school said in statement.

Doctors sidelined Hartman in August after discovering the quarterback was dealing with a medical condition unrelated to football.

Sam Hartman medical update

The exact nature of the diagnosis was not originally made public, but Dr. Julie A. Freischlag, MD, recently revealed the ailment in a statement.

"Sam developed a blood clot in the subclavian vein. This condition is known as Paget-Schroetter syndrome, or effort thrombosis. We suspect this occurred as a result of a previous infection that eventually caused inflammation.

"After our diagnosis on August 9, we first did a procedure to remove the blood clot. Secondly, we performed surgery to eliminate the pressure on the vein and then dilated the vein.

"On Friday, we did another follow-up ultrasound on Sam and everything looked great. The clot was gone, the blood flow was good and he felt great. Blood thinner therapies were discontinued once they became medically unnecessary and he is medically cleared to return to full competition.

"Sam is a wonderful young man and I, and our entire team, wish him all the best as he returns to the football field."

A huge boost for Wake Forest

Few players mean more to their team than Hartman.

He led Wake to arguably its best-ever season in 2021, leading the No. 11 ranked offense in college football, and took the Demon Deacons to the ACC Championship Game.

The quarterback threw for 4,228 yards with 39 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, going 299 of 508 passing, adding 11 touchdowns and 363 yards rushing.

Wake finished in first-place of the ACC Atlantic Division, though the team came up short against Pittsburgh in the conference championship game.

(h/t Wake Forest)

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