Notre Dame lands ex-Wake Forest star QB Sam Hartman in transfer portal

In one swoop from the transfer portal, Notre Dame found its starting quarterback for next season.

Sam Hartman, who set passing records over five seasons at Wake Forest, revealed Thursday that he will play for the Fighting Irish this fall. The 23-year-old Charlotte native has one year of college eligibility remaining.

Hartman, who was named to the 2022 all-ACC third team, was linked to Notre Dame in reports when he entered the transfer portal late last month. A source told ESPN that Hartman was looking for a prominent program that ran a pro-style system and could boost his NFL draft stock.

Drew Pyne, Notre Dame's starting quarterback for much of the 2022 season, transferred to Arizona State. The sophomore went 8-2 after Tyler Buchner, the Irish's starter entering the season, suffered a shoulder injury.

Buchner, also a sophomore, returned in time to help the Irish beat South Carolina last week in the Gator Bowl. Buchner threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

Hartman missed Wake Forest's season opener with a blood clot. After receiving treatment for what was diagnosed as Paget-Schroetter syndrome, or effort thrombosis, he returned for the Demon Deacons' second game and completed the season. Hartman finished with 3,701 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

In his final game with Wake Forest, Hartman led the Demon Deacons to a win over Missouri in last month's Gasparilla Bowl. His 280 passing yards, with three touchdowns and one pick, left him just 33 yards short of joining former North Carolina State star Philip Rivers as the only ACC quarterbacks to throw for at least 13,000 yards.

In addition to finishing second to Rivers in that category, Hartman set conference records with 110 career passing touchdowns and 21 300-yard games. In September, he tied an ACC mark with six passing touchdowns in an overtime loss to Clemson. He was named a semifinalist for the 2022 Davey O'Brien Award, which is bestowed annually on the nation's top college quarterback (it went this year to TCU's Max Duggan).

Notre Dame's 2023 schedule includes a meeting with Wake Forest in October, several games after a season opener in Dublin vs. Navy and following high-profile matchups with Ohio State and Southern California. The Fighting Irish will be in their second season under head coach Marcus Freeman.

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