Sam Hartman Transfers to Notre Dame After 5 Seasons as Wake Forest QB

Former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman announced Thursday that he is transferring to Notre Dame ahead of the 2023 season, his final year of college eligibility.

Hartman was expected to commit to the Fighting Irish since entering the transfer portal on Dec. 27, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Hartman spent the first five seasons of his college career at Wake Forest; he redshirted in 2019 and gained an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2022 campaign, he completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,701 yards and 38 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in 12 games, in addition to rushing for 129 yards and one score.

As a starter at Wake Forest, Hartman went 27-18. His best season came in 2021 when he led the Demon Deacons to an 11-3 record, tying Wake Forest's record for wins in a season. He completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 4,228 yards and 39 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in 14 games, in addition to rushing for 364 yards and 11 scores.

The 23-year-old is the ACC's leader with 110 touchdown passes and is second in conference history with 12,967 passing yards. Only former NC State signal-caller Philip Rivers has more passing yards (13,484 in four seasons).

Notre Dame was in need of a starting quarterback entering the 2023 season after Drew Pyne announced that he was transferring to Arizona State. Tyler Buchner is still on the roster, though he isn't as proven as Hartman, who can come in and immediately help the Fighting Irish offense.

Hartman was projected to be a late-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, but now he can work on improving his stock by remaining in college for another season.

Notre Dame finished the 2022 season with a 9-4 record, including a win over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Gator Bowl.

The Fighting Irish have some tough matchups on tap for 2023, including meetings with Ohio State, USC and Clemson. They'll meet Hartman's former team, Wake Forest, on Oct. 28 in South Bend.