Wake Forest HC Calls out Notre Dame for Sam Hartman Love: 'Rented Him for a Year'

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson thought Notre Dame went a bit over the top when it came to honoring graduate transfer Sam Hartman.

Hartman was on the Demon Deacons for five seasons before deciding to spend his final year of college eligibility with the Fighting Irish.

Clawson quipped that Notre Dame "only dated" the quarterback compared to how long he was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"[Notre Dame] bought him and rented him for a year, and now they love him?" the coach said to reporters. "This is where college football is."

Clawson got a firsthand look at how Notre Dame honored Hartman on senior day. The Fighting Irish routed Wake Forest 45-7 in its final home game.

Maybe some of the adulation toward Hartman was a bit excessive, but he has made a big impact on the field in his one year. He also assumed a leadership role inside the locker room.

Clawson made sure to say he didn't have any lingering bitterness toward Hartman for leaving Wake Forest.

"Sam and I had a great discussion before the game and after the game, and I love the young man," he said. "I really do. I don't blame him at all for what he did. That's the system now. For him to have the opportunity to have that experience, and make that type of money in one year, who can fault him?"

Clawson is correct in that this is the new normal in college athletics thanks to the one-time transfer rule. Even before that, players such as Hartman were free to play elsewhere for their last season after obtaining a degree.

It's probably only a matter of time before Clawson looks to the transfer portal to find an immediate solution at quarterback, at which time his comments will be thrown back at him.