Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman intends to enter the transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, with a strong possibility that he’ll land at Notre Dame next season.
Hartman, who’s spent the last five seasons with the Demon Deacons, set the ACC record for touchdown passes during his time in Winston-Salem. In 45 games across five seasons with Wake Forest, Hartman threw for 110 touchdowns and 12,967 passing yards, while leading the program to a 27–18 record in that time.
The Fighting Irish have emerged as the frontrunners to nab Hartman after losing 2022 starter Drew Pyne to Arizona State earlier this month. Declaring for the NFL draft remains a possibility for the 23-year-old Hartman, but NFL scouts don’t project him being drafted before the sixth-round, if at all, according to Thamel.
Notre Dame finished the 2022 regular season at 8–4, earning a bid to the Gator Bowl against South Carolina.
Hartman is set to leave Wake Forest after leading the school to strong finishes in each of the last two years. In 2021, the Demon Deacons went 11–3, tying the program’s all-time win mark with a win over Rutgers in the Gator Bowl.
This past season, Hartman missed Wake Forest’s opening game with a blood clot that was designated as a non-football related medical condition, the program announced. The school later revealed that Hartman has been diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter syndrome, a blood clot that is often associated with repeated strenuous activity.
Upon his return to the field, Hartman picked up right where he left off the previous year. He threw for 3,701 yards and 38 touchdowns and led the Demon Deacons to an 8–5 record, including a win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Now potentially bound for South Bend, Hartman could get the chance to play against his former team in 2023. Notre Dame and Wake Forest will play each other on Oct. 28.
